This past weekend I got LASIK eye surgery in Gangnam. I decided around September that I wanted to get the procedure done before I went back to the U.S. because it's a lot more expensive in the States. Even if you were to pay the full price-tag for LASIK in Korea (around $1,500 for both eyes), it's much cheaper than ($4,000 minimum for both eyes) back in the States. Like all things in Korea, word-of-mouth and referrals are the way to go. A volunteer language exchange group posted an LASIK promotional partnership with this eye clinic with prices at around $850 so I contacted the clinic and set-up a free examination. The eye clinic I went to is 하늘안과 or SKY Eye Clinic .
It should be noted that this clinic does not cater to foreigners and most workers, aside from the doctors, cannot explain anything in detail in English. I had some difficulty filling out a medical history form in English until a girl waiting for her surgery overheard me struggling and came over to translate for me. After that was finished, I had to wait for my name to be called over and over again as I went around to several stations for several different tests. A person must take 24 tests in order to determine if you are a fit candidate for LASIK/LASEK/Wavefront or any other type of eye surgery. Luckily I qualified for LASIK, which has the fastest recovery time.
One of several eye examination areas.
I went to the examination alone and didn't want to commit to getting an operation performed on the very same day, which is what a majority of Koreans opt to do. Instead I scheduled my surgery for a month later and went on my way.
Waiting area for examinations.
Last Friday was the scheduled day for my surgery and my Canadian friend came along to take care of me. There's no way a person would be able to drive after the surgery and in Korea they tell you to not take the subway either, because the crowds and harsh lighting will not be comforting. So I checked in, signed a legal waiver, learned about the eye drops I need to use, got anesthetic eye drops put in and paid. Then I was brought downstairs to sit in this lobby while I waited to enter the surgery area.
Waiting area pre-surgery.
Finally my name was called. I took off my shoes and put on an Asian-style wrap top and shower cap. Then we had to wait for someone to come around to clean our face off with a wet wipe and sit back with our eyes closed for 10-15 minutes while they played classical music. At times it was getting really boring to keep sitting there while I can hear a laser-like sound in the next room. Then my name was called and I was brought into the surgery room, which had almost all the lights out.
Here's the machine they used. There were 3 machines with 3 patients getting the surgery in the room. Each doctor had two nurses on each side - one for each eye, in order to finish the surgery as soon as possible.
The surgery itself was quite intimidating. I jumped when the doctor applied something to keep my eyelid up and he kept saying "Don't afraid. Don't afraid." While they compress your eye to begin, you go blind for about 10 seconds despite the eerie fact that your eye is being held open. Then I was told to stare at the red light and to never look away at the red light. When the laser is being applied, the red little circle becomes a red cloud moving in a fuzzy circle. I described it to my sister as being a window in the car wash.
The surgery was supposed to take 10 minutes but it felt like 2 minutes so I'll trust my gut. After I finished my first thought was "I'M NOT BLIND!!!!!!!!" Then they told me to get up and I couldn't see anything and was incredibly disoriented. I was quickly taken out of my hospital gear and met my friend in the waiting area. I couldn't see anything and my eyes were really watery. Think drunk simulation goggles times three.
The funniest thing was parents taking tons of pictures of their kids in pain after the surgery. One family even tried to get a family picture with peace signs while their kid has his head down in pain.
My friend and I took a taxi home and my eyes would burst out watering about every 10 minutes. I couldn't sell incredibly well but I could notice that my vision was subtly better while reading some building signs.
Fast forward to today - I'm seeing and feeling awesome. Plus, I already got it approved to take a sick day tomorrow to rest.
So there you have it.. if you're thinking about doing LASIK while in Korea.. just do it!
