I’m living overseas, so I visited Korea specifically for LASEK.
I went to a total of 5 clinics just for exams, and in the end, after going around and around, I went with the clinic I chose first.
It was also the most expensive ophthalmology clinic.
That clinic in Seocho Building, Gangnam, famous for Two-Day LASEK!
8 years ago I only had a genetic test and an exam to see if LASEK was possible, then put it off, and finally got LASEK.
I had LASEK at the end of May 2023, and at first Director ㅇㅈㅇ judged that I could not have LASEK.
It felt like the sky was falling.
Every clinic except this one said LASEK was possible, and one clinic even said a reoperation would be possible too...
That clinic was promoting itself with celebrities.. It really felt like my trust just disappeared.
I begged Director ㅇㅈㅇ, got medication prescribed, and they said to retest in a week.
They made it clear that if the numbers were still low then, they would not operate on me there.
My first exam value didn’t reach 500.. At other clinics, because of variation, it even came out up to 520.
I tried negotiating with the eye examiner, asking if they could tell the director the best number that came out, but I was rejected^^
They said they set it based on the lowest number.. Anyway, in just one week my cornea improved slightly to a level where surgery was possible.
For surgery, I paid about 3.6 million won total for high myopia + Extra LASEK.
LASEK???? It was really over in 3 seconds......... I stared hard at the green light, got praised, and it was done.
The strongest thought I had was why did I do this only now, and honestly, because I had high myopia (about -6.5), I didn’t care about glare or halos.. If I take my glasses off, everything looks blurred anyway.
I had to go for a one-month follow-up, so the director said they wouldn’t operate if I couldn’t come for the one-month checkup.
That’s why I took 6 weeks of vacation and came to Korea.
In the end, I think I really did the right thing. I know LASEK has many side effects and that vision can drop, but if I wore glasses from 6th grade until age 33, I thought it would be okay to be free from glasses for about 10 years, so I did it.
My dryness was so severe that even daily disposable lenses made my eyes sting, and I couldn’t keep enduring with contacts anymore, so I had surgery, and I’m satisfied.
Of course, when I wake up in the morning, sometimes it feels like my eyes are going to tear open.
It really feels like I’m tearing my eyes open as I wake up.
I think dryness can’t be helped, but still, I’m very satisfied.
Sometimes I’m a bit scared my vision will drop quickly, but it makes me think I should have had the surgery sooner.
It’s so convenient that I can’t go back to life with glasses.
It’s the best when eating ramen!
The clinic that absurdly recommended lens implantation to me.. I won’t forget...
At ㅇㅇㅅ, I was judged not suitable for lens implantation. To be precise, they said it was possible, but my eyes would need the lenses removed within 6 months.
They said my eyes are very distorted, so even if I had it done, they are eyes that would definitely need removal someday, and told me not to wastefully get lens implantation.
The estimate for lens implantation at that clinic was 6 million won.
But rather than an expensive surgery, they had high standards for corneal ablation and a surgery suited to me, so for me it was a clinic I was satisfied with.
Of course it’s a large, factory-style clinic, but after going to all four of the other clinics too, the director who suited me was Director ㅇㅈㅇ.
Because it was Two-Day, recovery was fast. On the first day I ate meat while crying (the stinging in my eyes was insane), the second day it hurt a bit, and after removing the bandage contact lens on the third day, the world felt comfortable.
I hope everyone has successful eye surgery and finds a bright new world.