Gangnam Myeongmok Eye Clinic ICL Surgery Aftercare Notes
CHAORONGXUAN
3 hours ago
I originally decided to get vision correction surgery because I saw the hospital name labeled as “Korea’s largest ophthalmology clinic”, so I chose this hospital.
This hospital also hosts online info sessions. The one I joined was a 1:1 session, and the staff member (the Chinese interpreter who assisted me on the day of my exams) explained the different surgical options and requirements in great detail. After the online consultation, I was mentally prepared, if laser wasn’t possible for me, I might have to go with ICL.
On the day of my exams, I arrived at the clinic at 10:00 a.m. The building exterior was really beautiful, it looked like a cafe. After checking in at the front desk, a male Chinese interpreter guided me through the entire examination process. The hospital also provides lockable lockers where you can store your luggage. There were many eye exam items, but the overall process was very fast, basically there wasn’t much waiting. During the exams, the Chinese interpreter kept explaining the results to me. After the exams, I had a consultation with the director and confirmed that the procedure I could proceed with was ICL. The director also kindly explained the procedure and where the lens would be placed. Because my prescription was relatively high, the surgery was scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
The interpreter first took me to the pharmacy next to the hospital to pick up the post-op oral anti-inflammatory medication. Then they gave me a coffee voucher so I could rest at the hospital cafe. The coffee there was seriously amazing, it was my favorite coffee I had in Korea. After getting my coffee, I ate at a restaurant near the clinic, then returned at 2:00 p.m. to check in on B1.
Before surgery, the Chinese interpreter kept checking in on me and told me the director’s technique is excellent and that their cases are almost always successful. I already trusted the hospital and wasn’t too worried, but this really reduced my pre-op anxiety. My surgeon was Dr. Choi Sooyoung, and I could tell he genuinely recommended this director because he sincerely recommended him to me twice!
During the pre-op preparation, including disinfection and anesthesia, the operating room staff were very professional. Once I lay on the operating table, they applied anesthetic eye drops again. Then they placed a sterile drape over my eye area, taped the upper and lower eyelids open, and used an instrument to keep my eyelids open. During the procedure, the director explained each step of what he was doing. The part I felt most was adjusting the lens position, but it wasn’t very uncomfortable. The surgery was completed very quickly, based on my experience it took about 3 to 5 minutes per eye. After the procedure, they took me to a dimly lit recovery area to rest while the anesthesia wore off and my eyes recovered. The Chinese interpreter told me that because I cooperated well, the surgery went very smoothly and quickly. Both the discomfort during the procedure and the discomfort after the anesthesia wore off were within what I could tolerate. After surgery, they checked my eye pressure and vision again. The eye drops to lower eye pressure stung a bit, but that was all. Then I spoke with the director again, and after checking my eyes, he told me everything went very smoothly and explained what I should pay attention to after surgery.
After surgery, the clinic provided four transparent eye shields for me to wear while sleeping (you need to wear them for one month after surgery). They also provided many boxes of moisturizing eye drops, a heat eye mask you can use after one month, and the sunglasses I received as a gift for attending the consultation session. They also gave me antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops for after surgery. On the day of surgery, I needed to keep the transparent eye shields on and could only remove them after returning to the hotel. Since both sides of the shields were taped, my field of vision was very narrow and inconvenient. Because I came alone, the Chinese interpreter thoughtfully called a taxi for me and accompanied me to the entrance to get in the car.
I got back to the hotel around 6:00 p.m. The discomfort in my eyes was within a tolerable range, and there was a slight hazy feeling. I rested a bit, and by around 10:00 p.m. the haze had decreased a lot. The next morning when I woke up, my vision was very clear. The next day I went back to the hospital for a follow-up. After a simple vision check, I had an in-person consultation with another female director. Because my schedule couldn’t accommodate it, the Chinese interpreter helped me book another follow-up six days later. After surgery, you have to be careful not to hit your eyes or get water in them, so I washed my face using cleansing towels, which wasn’t too inconvenient. My dry eye symptoms were also still within an acceptable range. When I returned on Saturday for the follow-up, I again did a vision test, and another director saw me and told me the surgical results were very successful. They also suggested a schedule for future follow-ups. Because I’m a foreigner, they specifically provided an English medical report so it would be convenient for me to do follow-ups locally.
I’m very satisfied that I chose this hospital for my surgery, and I would recommend it to friends who also want to get laser vision correction or eye surgery. First, the Chinese interpreter explained everything very carefully throughout the whole process and also checked whether I was nervous. Next, the exam staff were very professional and efficient. The doctor who performed my surgery and the two doctors who saw me during follow-ups were all very kind. The doctor at my final follow-up was very handsome, I looked up his name because he was so good-looking, it was Director Choi Sooyoung, he really is very handsome.
The hospital also gave me lots of moisturizing eye drops and an extra-high moisturizing eye drop to use after one week. Overall, the entire experience was great, the environment was beautiful, everything was efficient, the coffee was delicious, everyone was friendly, and you could really feel their professionalism. Six days after surgery, I even went to a concert. My vision was very clear, and only when looking directly at white lights did I see a slight halo, but it didn’t affect my view. While enjoying the concert, I felt like I truly made it happen, getting vision correction surgery was such a great decision!
