On Jan. 15, I went in for a free exam to see what surgery is right for me. They do a 2-hour, very thorough check on your eyes to figure out what you need. Just my luck that I needed the only one that would have any pain associated with it.
So a week later, on Jan. 18, Jeong Mi went with me to Kim Eye Clinic -- a block away from my house -- and I got surgery. The surgery itself really only last about 10 minutes, and maybe less. The doctor preps you and pops you under the computer/laser, and it goes to town.
There is some discomfort when it slices your eye open, but no actual pain. The strange burning smell when the laser is running is interesting, though.
After surgery, they sit you in a comfy recliner with an ice pack for 20 minutes. Then, it's time to head home.
The day of the surgery, my eyes were blurry, but felt fine. It was day two that the pain came. I woke up a bit uncomfortable, but generally okay. I went for a checkup, and the doctor warned that it would hurt for the next couple days.
Starting that evening, my eyes were so swollen that I couldn't open them. The pain wasn't terrible, but enough that even though my eyes were closed, I couldn't really sleep. Day three continued along that path until the evening, when everything started letting up.
On that Friday, I went back in and had the after-surgery protective soft lenses removed. My eyes went back to blurriness again, but the pain was gone by that point.
Even now, there are times when focus comes in and out a bit. My eyes seem to still be getting used to switching focus from near things to far things, sometimes throwing me out of whack. But things are coming in clearly, and they seem to be getting more stable.
It's weird to be without glasses or contacts. I have been using them since third grade. Waking up in the morning and seeing across the room is the nicest part. Just knowing that option is back in my life. Technology, huh?
The clinic I went to was recommended to me by Ridia, who also had her eyes done there. The cost was 1.4 million won, which is about $1,250. I think that's a pretty good price for the convenience of not needing help seeing.
The only issue for a foreigner is that they don't speak English there. It's a great place, but either speak Korean or take a Korean friend for help. Other than that, it's a nice place to get your eyes fixed.
They warned that somewhere down the line, I may need reading glasses or even a touch-up type surgery that's available. But by that point, I figure I'll have robot eyes anyway.
The video is conveniently posted below, or you can check it out here on youtube.
Check out all the fun pictures here.
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