Amanda
I'm still in disbelief. I still come home after having a few drinks and attempt to remove my contact lenses. I still instinctively reach for my glasses in the morning. I still get excited when I realize that I'm through with all of it.
Just over a month ago, I booked a free consultation at Dream Eye Center in Myeongdong. I had been heavily considering getting corrective eye surgery for many years, but I never had the courage to actually go through with it. I still remember the day that I had finally made my decision. I had been sitting at a baseball diamond, watching my fiance and the rest of the Seoul Baseball League's players warm up. One of my friends arrived wearing a baseball cap, and using the beak to keep her eyes covered. After a brief discussion, she told me that she had, just days before, had corrective eye surgery. She ranted and raved about how incredible the entire experience was, and about how incredibly happy she was with the results. Something clicked, I booked an appointment the next day.
Upon arriving at the Myeongdong branch of Dream Eye Center, I was immediately impressed by the cleanliness of the space, as well as with the warm smiles and welcomes from the Dream Eye Center staff. They ran me through a series of tests, and explained each and every result to me thoroughly (not too shabby for a free service). After the testing was complete, I met the doctor and he, once again, explained the results and offered his input as to which procedure I was most suitable for. After much consideration, I decided to go with Wavefront LASIK. I was so impressed with the sterile, courteous, professional atmosphere that I booked an appointment for surgery. I was really going to go through with it this time!
On the day of surgery, I was a mess. I was nervous, I was hesitant, and I wasn't sure if this was truly what I wanted. I was terrified. I resisted the urge to cancel and made my way to Myeongdong. When I arrived, the receptionists had me wait for a few minutes. They offered me coffee, books to read, and a free calendar. I turned to see the nurse come down the stairs, and I knew it was time. She took me up stairs and did a final, short round of testings to make sure that everything was still alright. I met with the doctor, and was sent upstairs again to be prepped for surgery. The nurses made me feel so relaxed. They put some numbing eye drops in my eyes, and got me into my gown and slippers. Then, a nurse wiped down my face with a cold substance and gave my eyes another dose of eye drops. After waiting for a few minutes, into the surgery room I went. I was beyond terrified, but the staff really put me at ease. They had me lay down, the doctor positioned my head for surgery, and the nurse stood beside me, holding my hand. The doctor talked me through the entire procedure. It was so comforting to know exactly what was going on, at every single moment of the procedure. I'm going to be honest, the part of the procedure when they are lifting your corneal flap and actually using the laser, was the most uncomfortable 40 seconds (approx. 20 seconds per eye) of my life. Being able to smell your eye burning is not a comfortable place to be in. Although uncomfortable, it was completely painless, and completely worth it. After the quick surgery, a song started blasting in the surgery room "CONGRATULATIONS, CONGRATULATIONS!" Only in Korea! :) Then, they brought me to a resting room, where I was able to lay on a bed and listen to a music genre of my choice. I was there for a short while, and then they took me downstairs, gave me my prescript ion, and sent me on my way. The next hour or so was not pleasant. I made the poor decision of taking the subway home (about an hour trip). I should have just cabbed it. I was incredibly uncomfortable for the next 2 to 3 hours, but I felt no pain what so ever. The best way I could describe the uncomfortable feeling is to say that, it had felt like I had been crying for 2 days straight. Anyway, I received a congratulatory text from my nurse, as well as a check up phone call from my doctor later in the evening. Again, only in Korea. I felt better so quickly, that I most definitely could have met my friends for dinner or a coffee that night, but I decided to relax at home instead. The next day, I went in for a follow-up appointment, and much to my surprise, my vision was already 20/20! Incredible!
It has now been a month, and I couldn't be happier. Going to Dream Eye Center was one of the best decisions of my life!