Gaylene - Turangi, New Zealand - LASIK surgery with Dr Somchai.

After seeing an advertisement in the New Zealand Herald for Lasik eye surgery in Thailand organised by Beautiful Escapes, I emailed the company and had a prompt telephone reply from Jo.

Jo was very knowledgeable about the various hospital options for Lasik and provided really quick, informative responses to my many questions. Jo recommended Dr Somchai who operates from the Super Centre at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. I did a fair amount of research about him and the centre and made a very quick decision to go ahead.

As I would be travelling alone for the surgery, Jo allowed me to 'tag along' with her so myself, Jo and one other lady departed Auckland for Bangkok together on 18th February.

There were a couple of miscommunications regarding the booking time and day but the hospital staff are extremely professional and speak English quite well so language wasn't too much of a problem. The hospital is awesome - very clean buildings and facilities, up to date technology and the service really is five star. Any fears of 'backstreet butchery' completely disappeared. I had an initial consultation and a chance to meet Dr Somchai who is very reassuring and has a calming, gentle demeanour so any anxiety I had been feeling was quickly forgotten about.

Consultation with Dr. Somchai

The day of the surgery Jo and I met at the clinic and she was kind enough to wait for me to have the lasik. I will admit that I was quite nervous but the whole procedure took about 15 or 20 minutes and was not at all painful or too uncomfortable. Dr Somchai offers heaps of reassurance throughout the procedure and suggested some breathing exercises which really helped me to relax.

After the procedure was over and Dr Somchai had fitted me with the 'spiderman goggles' I was fully briefed about keeping my eyes dry, clean and free from infection. I was given some mild sedatives and painkillers just in case I felt uncomfortable later on. I was advised to stay in the hotel room and rest for the remainder of the day. It was really comforting knowing Jo was outside waiting for me and she was nice enough to make sure I got a taxi back to the hotel and then kept in touch with me to see how I was feeling that evening.

After surgery leaving the hospital

My vision was pretty horrible the day of the surgery but I didn't feel any pain, only slight discomfort like grittiness in my eyes. I took Dr Somchai's advice and stayed in my hotel room for the evening. The attendant who brought my room service dinner to me had a bit of a chuckle when he saw me as the 'spiderman goggles' are not very fashionable! Slept like a log without sedation or pain killers.

I was eager to test my vision the next day and can honestly say that my eyes were not sore at all and my vision was about as good as it would have been wearing my glasses or contact lenses although it took a couple of seconds to focus in on things in the distance. I had my first check-up that morning with Dr Somchai and he was very impressed with the results and was amazed that my eyes had pretty much healed up over night.

I would recommend both Jo from Beautiful Escapes and Dr Somchai from the Super Centre Pattaya if you are considering any eye or other type of surgery in Thailand. Jo was very efficient and provided relevant information based on her travel consultants knowledge and personal experiences, which helped me make the decision to go ahead. She made sure all of the travel details/transfers and hospital arrangements were taken care of.

I was very grateful that Jo spent time with me in Pattaya at the hospital and hammering the pavements shopping, people watching and enjoying a yummy seafood dinner together at a beachside restaurant. I definitely got my great service from Jo and look forward to seeing her in the future.