Hello! I am a patient who had SMILE LASIK surgery at SNU Eye Clinic last Saturday. The reason I came to write this review is that I came to understand why other people write reviews. I got a good result through my experience, so I want to share it. I hope many people can freely enjoy their vision without glasses or contact lenses.
First of all, while I was considering SMILE LASIK, I took into account the safety and effectiveness of the surgery because I have high myopia (diopter -7) and, as a developer, my job requires me to work on a computer all day. As a result of the eye examination, I was told that SMILE LASIK could be done safely and that LASEK was also an option. So I searched for various information such as cafe reviews, blogs, and YouTube, and without necessarily getting eye exams at several clinics, I chose SNU Eye Clinic right away.
One reason I chose SNU Eye Clinic was the expertise and experience of the head director. I heard that the head director is a prominent figure with a strong standing in ophthalmology, was the first to introduce SMILE LASIK, and operated on his daughter, who had high myopia. Also, because it is not a factory-style vision correction eye clinic but a hospital also well known for ophthalmic care itself, I could trust it more.
During the preoperative eye exam, they checked my vision and eye health, and because the corneal ablation amount was large, we decided to proceed with corneal strengthening as well. The consultant and optometrists were so kind that I could have my eye exam in a good mood from weekend morning. In the preoperative consultation, they explained SMILE LASIK and SMILE Pro, the surgery cost, techniques, and so on in detail. I was deciding between Director Kim Joo-hyun and the head director, but after hearing that Director Kim Joo-hyun has recently been mainly performing SMILE LASIK, I decided to have surgery with Director Kim Joo-hyun.
When I separately saw the director for the consultation, he carefully examined my eyes through a microscope and said that although there was no likelihood, it would be good to do the Avellino test. I had heard that SNU does this test selectively, so honestly I had never seen anyone who had done the Avellino test, but I was grateful that he examined my eyes carefully with the mindset of checking even the stone bridge before crossing. Since it was Saturday, I was worried that the results would be delayed and I might not be able to have surgery the same day, but the results came out quickly, there were no problems, and I was able to proceed with surgery in the afternoon.
They anesthetized my eyes with anesthetic eye drops, fixed my eyes in place, and the surgery began. Both the laser surgery and corneal strengthening were performed painlessly, and the kind director's small talk here and there helped me relax. I think the surgery itself took about 10 minutes, but because I was nervous, it felt like it ended in only about 2-3 minutes. Compared with how nervous I was, it was less of a big deal than most dermatology procedures. You just need to keep looking straight ahead, and it is not as difficult as I expected! Since they kept putting in anesthetic drops throughout, there was absolutely no need to worry about pain either. After the surgery ended, I looked ahead, and although it was blurry, it was so amazing that I could walk properly even without glasses. I looked at the scenery outside the taxi the whole way home.
On day 1 after surgery, after returning home, my eyes felt a little stinging. It felt like I was cutting onions, but it was not painful or difficult, and I shed some tears for about 3 hours. Considering it as the price of gaining vision, it really felt like nothing much, so I was amazed and thought, wow, medical technology has really advanced.
On day 2, my vision had already improved, and there was almost no discomfort. As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning and looked at the curtains, it was really amazing that I could see them so clearly even without glasses. I also took about a 1-hour walk at night, and there was no disruption at all to daily life.
On day 3, I was able to go to work and continue daily life without much difficulty. On day 4, I saw the director and confirmed that my vision had improved to over 1.0. The surgery went so well, and because there were no side effects like dry eye syndrome or severe glare, the director also seemed pleased, so I was very happy too.
As of day 5, my eye condition is normal, and I am enjoying daily life without discomfort. To those considering SMILE LASIK surgery, I want to share my experience that it is okay to choose it without overthinking too much. I am very happy that I can now freely enjoy my vision without glasses or contact lenses. Once again, I would like to thank Director Kim Joo-hyun and the professional staff. And I hope this post will be helpful to everyone reading it as you consider SMILE LASIK surgery. Thank you!