Since I've been in Korea, I have met several people who have received laser eye surgery. Generally, it is more affordable here than in most people's home countries. When I was at the War Memorial Museum this past Spring, I talked to my friend Kris who had received the surgery. It was something that I was thinking about since I knew my vision had gotten worse as I was noticing it on a daily basis but still did not want to wear glasses or contacts daily. I received information about Gangnam EyeMedi Vision Center from her a few days later but didn't end up doing anything with the information as I was a bit nervous to take the plunge being in a different country without any family close by.
Fast forward to the summer and I found out my friend Mel had booked a consultation with them and she asked if I could come along with her. So one Saturday morning we set out and found EyeMedi. It was super easy to find and the place was super clean and welcoming. Knowing that I was going with her that day made me consider getting it done even more. I am not usually the type of person who makes appointments and I often do things by impulse. So after Mel went in with the doctor and I was about to head out to a cafe (as the consultation is about two hours long) I stopped by the front counter. I knew it was a "now or never" situation. I knew I would never e-mail or call them to make an appointment so if I didn't make an appointment then, it wouldn't happen. So I booked a consultation for around the end of August.
Leading up to my consultation I was still a bit undecided if I would really go through with the surgery, but I knew if I went to the consultation I would be committed. There were several days where I considered cancelled my appointment out of fear. I mean, they are your eyes, it's a pretty big deal - or at least it was to me. I did end up going to the appointment though and found out that my eyes had gotten worse. The last time I had them checked they were about -0.5/-0.75 and now they were both about -1.5.
Now let's take a moment here.
Yes I know, my eyesight was not very bad. A lot of people have made the claim and will continue to make the claim that maybe it wasn't worth getting the surgery done. They'd understand if my eyes were -6 etc. But how is that a fair or just argument? Whether my eyesight was -1.5 or -6 I was still having to wear contacts on a daily basis in order to see properly. In order to enjoy the world around me for what it is really supposed to look like - not a blur. So while some may disagree, it was worth it. I had an impairment and it does not matter to what degree it was.
Anyways...
I don't actually remember much about the consultation. I remember that they went through a regular eye exam, they checked the thickness of my cornea, they put eye drops in my eyes that made them dilated for about two days. Dr. Choo was incredibly helpful, friendly, answered all my questions and relieved my concerns. I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy for the fact that the only pair of glasses I owned and have ever owned were made in 2008. When I left that day, I had booked my surgery for October 2nd.
At the beginning of September I had the opportunity to accompany Mel to EyeMedi as she was getting her surgery done. What is really interesting and unlike anything you'd probably experience back home is that you are able to watch the surgery. When she was all set, we were taken to the floor above and given medical gowns to wear. There are two surgery rooms, walled by glass so you can look in and watch it happening. As well, there is a live feed of a close up of the patient's eye so you can watch every move the doctor makes. As the nurse got Mel ready, I watched the previous patient get her surgery done. It wasn't awful to watch, although some parts did appear to be painful despite knowing that you cannot feel anything during the surgery. Next up was Mel, and I watched the live feed of her surgery too while sitting right outside the surgery room. She did it like a pro and was amazed by the immediate results when she left the surgery room.
Fast forward another month and it was my turn. I knew exactly what to expect since I had shadowed Mel throughout the process. I was also able to ask her questions and get her first hand wisdom and experience. The week leading up to my surgery date, I felt good about it. I didn't think I was stressed about it. Until Wednesday night, the day before the surgery.
I went to sleep that night and had a dream...
I dreamt that night that I went to EyeMedi a day before my planned surgery in order to ask some questions. There was not an English speaker there so they thought I was there for my surgery. I was taken immediately to the surgery room and the surgery was performed by another doctor I had never met. When I left, I was given a bag of eye drops without any consultation on how to use them. So by the time I got to the my apartment I was freaking out and worried as they did the surgery while I was wearing mascara. I kept calling them but they would either not answer or they would hang up. And then of course I woke up.
Needless to say, I was obviously a bit stressed subconsciously. I tried to go through Thursday normally. After work Chris and I headed to the subway station and met Noelia and we all headed to EyeMedi. I had my support team! Not to mention my best friend from home was up at 4am and messaged me in support right up until the minute I went in for surgery. I cannot express how thankful I was and am for his continual support. Thank you. When I arrived we went through the process again of checking my eyes, then we headed up to the floor above! Chris is not a fan of things like this so she didn't come up but Noelia did. They drew blood in order to make PRP which is Platelet-rich plasma eye drops that would speed up the healing process. After getting my face cleaned I was laying on the surgery table.
I felt pretty frozen during the whole thing and the best I could muster whenever the doctor asked if I was okay was a mmhmm. You do not feel a thing during the surgery aside from the cooling water after the laser part. Which is incredible cold. So much that it took everything inside of me to refrain from pushing the doctor away from me after he did the first eye. All you have to do is "look at the red dot". It was painless and it was fast. About ten minutes each eye, only 7 seconds of laser time each eye. Afterwards I felt good, tired, but good.
The next few days I spent laying in bed resting and putting in eye drops - so many eye drops. Usually people are sensitive to light after the surgery during the first bit, but I was not thankfully. They put non-prescription contacts in after the surgery as bandages. So a week later, I was back at EyeMedi to get those taken out. Normally your vision gets a bit blurry again once they are taken out but mine was not. They took pictures of my eye and they were very clear. I will say though that the sensation of not wearing the contacts was bizarre. The cornea is finishing growing back and as a result your eye is not smooth yet. The scratchy feeling you experience every blink was so strange. This too goes away though.
All was well until Saturday. I was out and had been experiencing the feeling of there being something in my eye since the night before. It eventually got so bothersome that I messaged Dr.Choo and went in right away.
I had a scratch on my eye.
Not really a huge deal, and apparently there are many factors as to why this can occur. I had to wear another contact bandage for another day and a half. It immediately made my eye feel better. I took it out myself on a Monday morning, about a week and a half ago now and I have been feeling great ever since! I have another check up on Friday which I'm sure will go well.
Getting laser eye surgery was the best choice for me. I no longer have to worry about bringing my glasses when I go see a movie, or wearing my contacts when I go on vacation in order to see everything perfectly. I no longer have to squint or walk closer to my classroom board to check how many stickers to give the students at the end of the day. Most of all, because I am continuing my diving adventure, I no longer have to worry about contacts underwater - something that was going to become a huge hassle!
I cannot give EyeMedi a better recommendation. They were professional, helpful, and friendly. Dr. Choo goes out of his way to ensure that we are looked after and is only ever a text away to answer any questions. I am so happy to be able to see without contacts or glasses and so happy I chose EyeMedi!!!
Here is a link if you would like to watch a filmed version of my surgery that is now on YouTube:
And a few pictures of the adventure courtesy of EyeMedi! I have also been featured on their blog, which you can find here:
Drawing blood for my PRP drops with Noelia's support!
Dressed and ready to go!
Surgery is complete!
With Dr. Lee!
Resting post surgery
Dr. Lee checking my eyes after the surgery
My dilated eyes!
He kept telling me that everything will be okay, don't worry!
Leaving after the surgery, goodbye Gangnam EyeMedi! See you soon for all my check-ups!
<3
