Prof. M.D. Dilek Güven

My 4-year-old son, Leo, developed a sudden, intense fear of light and was constantly rubbing his eyes. We were terrified it could be something serious. Dr. Dilek Güven was a miracle worker. She didn't just examine him; she turned it into a game with her animated light pen, calling it a 'space laser.' Her patience was infinite. She diagnosed him with a rare form of pediatric uveitis. Her treatment plan was gentle but effective, and she coordinated with a pediatric rheumatologist at Acibadem Maslak. Leo now calls her 'the eye fairy.' Her ability to connect with a frightened child while delivering world-class care is something I've never seen before.

As a 78-year-old retired watchmaker, my precise vision was my life. When cataracts and advancing glaucoma threatened to steal the last of my detailed sight, I was resigned to a blurry future. Dr. Güven proposed a combined, highly complex microsurgery she called a 'precision restoration.' She explained the overlapping risks of both conditions in a way that made sense, using diagrams of clock mechanics as an analogy. The surgery at Acibadem Maslak was flawless. At my follow-up, when she showed me the eye chart, I could read the bottom line. I didn't just get my vision back; I got back the ability to see the tiny gears of my hobby. Her technical mastery is matched only by her profound understanding of what vision means to a person's identity.

It was a Saturday evening, and a chemical splash from a cleaning product got under my safety glasses. The pain was excruciating. The ER at Acibadem Maslak called Dr. Güven, who arrived within 20 minutes, still in casual clothes. Her calm urgency was immediately reassuring. She performed an emergency corneal irrigation and debridement right then, explaining every step despite my panic. 'We are saving the canvas,' she said. Her follow-up protocol was meticulous—daily visits initially to monitor for scarring. She saved my cornea from significant damage. This wasn't a routine checkup; it was a rescue mission, and Dr. Güven was the unflappable commander who preserved my sight.

I went to Dr. Güven for what I thought was a simple routine checkup for new glasses. During her incredibly thorough examination, which involved advanced imaging I'd never had before, she discovered subtle, asymptomatic changes in my peripheral retina. She calmly explained it was a precursor to a retinal detachment, a 'silent warning.' She performed a preventative laser barricade procedure the same week in her clinic at the hospital. It was quick, painless, and proactive. What amazed me was her philosophy: she wasn't just correcting vision; she was forensic in searching for future problems. That routine visit potentially saved me from a major emergency surgery. Her preventive approach is a different level of ophthalmology.