LASEK

Ok, so several weeks ago I got LASEK done at a clinic in 둔산동 called 눈 사랑. The total cost was 1.2 million won. You can get it done for cheaper at other clinics (or so I've heard), but you often are stuck waiting for long periods of time to be seen by the doctor. This I know because I tried one of those clinics first. Plus, this clinic is pretty reputable with well educated doctors that speak English well. Most of the doctors graduated from Chungnam University with some sort of honors in their fields. Another bonus, is that all of the visits are covered by the 1.2 million won. The pre-op/assessment visit, the operation, and several follow up visits. I'm not sure if this is the case at other clinics. Also, I've never really met anyone that went to another clinic so I'm not completely positive how well their doctors are or how well you are treated. This has just been my experience.

I first learned about 눈 사랑 after passing by their office on my way to see another doctor in the building. I decided to look them up online later. After looking them up online, I asked around my office about them and my coworkers had said that they were a reputable company, and that a lot of people get LASIK or LASEK done there. So I decided to check them out. I went first to the office on the 2nd floor where I discovered that floor was just for regular checkups. I was then sent to the 7th floor to talk to them about making an appointment to have a counseling session and an evaluation. They suggested making it a bit later since I had been wearing my contacts every day. I think they said two full weeks without your contact lenses was best. When I came the next time, I waited maybe five minutes and then was ushered through a series of tests to determine which procedure was the best for me. The nurse who helped me spoke English well (I got an English speaking nurse every time, however I think some don't speak English well). Immediately after the tests, I saw the doctor who examined the results and did a checkup. He then told me that I should get LASEK done. I have steep corneas so I am not a good candidate for LASIK. I think LASEK is better anyways because it lasts longer, and the recovery process is really not all that painful. He showed me a quick video about the procedure. After, the nurse gave me a few more instructions about the surgery and post-op care instructions. I was then able to setup a time for the surgery for the following week. I couldn't believe that I was getting the surgery done so soon! Then, I remembered that I didn't ask how much the surgery would cost. For some reason, I began to feel really nervous because when I had inquired about it before in the US it was about $5,000 at one of the reputable clinics. When she told me that it was only going to be 1.2 million I was thrilled! So fast-forward to the surgery day, I had chosen that day because we had a four day weekend starting the day after. I always have a bit of break on Wednesdays so I scheduled it for the break, and I had planned parties for the classes that I was teaching after the break so that I wouldn't have to really do anything. I went to the clinic and was given one more series of test to ensure nothing had changed. Then, I was off to the surgery room. Of course, I was a bit nervous. I would be awake and see every part of the surgery. However, I often operate on the theory that if it's meant to be then some how, some way it will happen no matter what. So, I figured if I'm meant to be blind then here it is. Anyways, on the table, I watched them cut into and peel away part of my eye as I stared at this light above me (something was holding my eye open so I couldn't close my eyes). I was told to only stare at this light and try not to move my eye. Of course, there were moments where my eyes wanted to close, but the thing held them open and I didn't move them. They sprayed liquid in my eye, replaced the part they peeled away, and put a corrective lens over my eye. They repeated it on the other eye too. The whole procedure took less than 10 minutes. The total visit was maybe 45 minutes. I was able to go home and take a bit of a nap before returning to work. When I got to work later that evening. I found out that I had to make my lesson plans for the new semester using all new books. I really could not see very well, but it wasn't too terribly painful. I spent over an hour reading and writing right after my surgery. It didn't hurt it was just difficult to focus on letters. The next few days I rested and went out with friends. I was able to do everything normally. I was already able to see way better than I could before. The only pain came three days after the surgery, and it wasn't really all that bad. Actually, the night before I had gone to eat at a 삼겹살 restaurant, and I had also worn a strong perfume. I think the mixture of the smoke and the perfume aggravated my eyes a bit. I wasn't able to open my eyes fully the next day, and they watered a lot. It was more of a mild discomfort than a pain. It felt like I had slept in my contacts and couldn't get them moistened. I just repeatedly put the drops in. That weekend, the doctor checked my eyes to make sure that the procedure had gone well, and of course it had. Then, on Monday, the doctor took the protective lens off of my eyes. It felt so good to have the lens off. It almost felt like the lens was causing most of the discomfort. I went back again a few days ago to make sure the process was going well. It seems to be going really well. So I'm definitely really excited about it. Oh, I almost forgot post-op instructions. The big one is putting drops in your eyes. Also, no drinking/smoking for a month. Take vitamin C. No exercise or makeup for two weeks. After two weeks, light exercise, but no sweating. Sweat cannot touch your eyes for one month. No exercise or activity that could be harmful to your eyes. Always wear glasses outside for one month (sunglasses during the day, clear lenses at night). I bought an additional pair of glasses with no prescription for the sole purpose of wearing them out at night. I think that was about it. I would totally recommend this surgery to anyone. I would definitely recommend going to 눈 사랑 in 둔산동. It is very convenient for me because I live near Time World and there office is right across the street. If you have any questions about the differences between LASIK and LASEK, this site: http://lasik.lifetips.com/cat/62944/lasek-surgery/index.html is really informative. If you want more information about 눈 사랑 their website is www.eyelove75.com. It is mostly informative in Korean. However, they do have a short page in English.