When I was young (10s-20s), my vision was good, and in my 30s I got by just wearing glasses and sometimes contact lenses. But my eyes gradually got drier, and when I wore contacts, my eyes hurt so, so much in less than an hour that I couldn't wear contacts anymore... Glasses were so uncomfortable that I couldn't wear them either. At the time, my vision was around 0.4 in both eyes, with a little astigmatism... So I wondered if I was too old, but since today is the youngest day of the rest of my life, I decided to get surgery as soon as possible, searched online, asked around to see if anyone near me had had vision correction surgery, and started gathering information. Surprisingly, a lot of people had had surgery. I just hadn't known because I usually had no interest and never asked, so they never mentioned it. First, I thought the priority should be to get a detailed examination, so I decided to narrow down a few hospitals and get tested. I didn't have much time, resources were limited, and I didn't even know what kind of surgery my eyes could undergo... After looking up various information, what I had thought on my own was basically: 1. LASEK (relatively inexpensive, very painful for about 2 weeks after surgery, but highly stable) 2. SMILE LASIK (expensive, but you can return to daily life right away from the next day) That was about it. But all of this is useless, because if tests show that your eyes can't have that surgery, it means nothing.. (Yes, that was me..) I simply went to two hospitals. First, a LASEK-specialized hospital, Gangnam Bright Myung. The reason I went there was really clear. It was known as a place that gives results very firm, rigid, and conservative. Eye surgery is scary even after you decide to do it. The eyes are a very important body part, and there are also many side effects after surgery... So I thought a place that tells you whether surgery is possible based on very conservative standards would be trustworthy. You can probably guess the result, right? They said my corneas were too thin and it was absolutely impossible. ㅜ.ㅜ The next place I went was Apgujeong Eye Clinic. An acquaintance had received SMILE LASIK there about 3 years before at that time. I went because they said they had gotten a new life after surgery, and there were many reviews from famous celebrities. There were 3 doctors, and I wanted to have surgery with the head director. First, based on the eye exam results, all other vision correction surgeries were impossible. The only possible option was implantable contact lens surgery. Just like at Bright Myung, my corneas were thin, so there was nothing that could be ablated, making other surgeries impossible. Instead, I had ideal conditions for implantable contact lens surgery. In the end, since there was no other method at all, I underwent ICL implantable contact lens surgery. I had my first eye exam on October 25, 2023, had surgery on the morning of the 27th, and had my first post-op exam right away on the 28th. As for the surgery, I was extremely nervous, but compared with that, it wasn't particularly a big deal. Before surgery, they put drops in to dilate the pupils, but mine didn't dilate well, so they kept putting in drops and I waited quite a long time, making the pre-op waiting time longer. During surgery, they attach something like tape to the eyelids to force the eyes open, while continuously spraying something like water on the eyeball + telling you to keep looking at a red dot, but because your vision is blurry, it's hard to focus on the dot, and if you can't, you get scolded. You lie there extremely tense while water is sprayed on your eyeball + you try to look at the red dot + you get scolded once in a while if you can't see it << and after repeating this, one eye is done. I describe it like this, but it felt like less than 5 minutes. Then they put gauze on it, and you rest for about 15-20 minutes in a dark room with a recliner sofa while they put more pupil-dilating drops in the other eye. Then again you lie on the operating table and repeat water sprayed on the eyeball + trying to look at the red dot + getting scolded once in a while if you can't see it << for what feels like 5 minutes, and it's over. After surgery, I immediately received a prescription at reception, got the medicine at the pharmacy on the 1st floor, and went home. That day I was tired from being so tense and my eyes felt slightly stiff, so I just ate, took medicine, and slept. (If possible, I think it would be more comfortable to go by private car with a guardian.) The next morning I went straight for an eye exam. Before going, as soon as I woke up, I could see everything clearly with my bare eyes, and on the way there, road sign letters and store sign letters along the street were so easy to see that it was amazing. Like kids who just learned letters, I read aloud every letter I could see all the way there. lolololol There were no side effects at all. Just during the adjustment process, early on, when I went to dark places or places with lights on at night, a round solid line like the lens line would sparkle above the pupil. But that was only for a short while in the first one or two months, and I quickly adjusted, so now I can't see it even if I try. After that, all I do is go once a year as if for a regular checkup. My vision is still well maintained at 1.0 in both eyes, and because of my age, presbyopia is progressing slightly, so near vision is a little uncomfortable, but distance vision is very good. Especially, the advantage of implantable contact lens surgery is that unlike other vision correction surgeries, there is no myopic regression. Dryness is now completely gone... The downside is that it's expensive, but I regret not doing it earlier... Honestly, even if I had to do it again, and even if I could have other surgeries, I think I would choose implantable contact lens surgery.
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This is a surgery review pursuing reconstruction.