LASEK

I took 3 weeks of PTO from work and bought a roundtrip plane ticket to Seoul, Korea. Actually, it was a package deal through a travel agency in Los Angeles where we buy tickets to Seoul, and then to Hong Kong, back to Seoul, and back home to LA.

I love the lights at LAX:

My mom and I landed at Incheon International Airport on a rainy Sunday morning after a 13 hour flight. You can imagine how tired we were but we needed to stay awake the entire day so that we could actually get sleep at night. We went to a church service with our family in Kang Nam: http://www.choonghyun.org/web/chmc.php
They had the most amazing choir and orchestra! I tried listening to the translation of the sermon but ended up just listening to the pastor himself because I couldn't understand the person translating. :P

I had already decided to get LASIK surgery in Korea and so we made an appointment for the first Monday we got there, which was the second day we were there. It was at a very well-known place in Kang Nam, where my family lives: http://www.oklasik.com/

Turns out, the doctor recommended LASEK surgery instead of LASIK, which is a lot more invasive and (key word) PAINFUL Here are some details I found online:

http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/lasek.htm

That website does not describe the pain very well. "Your eye may feel irritated during the first day or two afterward." Seriously???? "...may feel irritated.."???? The way I've been describing it to people is that it feels like a million tiny little laser guns shooting fire bomb lasers into my cornea over and over again while miniature gremlins inside my eyeballs unceasingly pound away at my eyes with spiked bats. For 48 hours. Straight. Non-stop. Not only that, ANY kind of light would make me want to dig my head deep into a dark dark hole, shutting out all light forever (hm...that sounds like a coffin. I guess the vampire in me came out). Yup, I wanted to die. All I kept thinking was how much I regretted having the surgery and that I could wear contacts for the rest of my life instead. But...what can you do. I've already gotten the surgery.

Anyway, so on top of the never-ending excruciating pain in both eyeballs (not to mention my poor brain and the pounding headaches), there are a lot of restrictions and other rules. I have to put in these steroid eye drops into my eyes 4 times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before I go to bed. I can't drink any alcohol for at least 10 days after the surgery. I can't wear eyeliner or mascara type of makeup for 4 weeks (I already started wearing a little or else I look like a junior high kid). I have to wear sunglasses if I go out. I can't look at a computer screen or look at tiny fonts (even though I'm doing that right now keke). I forgot a lot of other stuff, but basically...it's very debilitating!

It'll take about a month to have normal vision and 3-4 months for full recovery. Final recommendation: LASEK surgery isn't worth the pain or recovery time. Try to get LASIK or just stick with contacts for the rest of your life. But I'm going to look on the bright side (no pun intended) and try to enjoy the perfect vision that is to come and appreciate the fact that I can see clearly when I wake up in the morning.

More posts about my trip to Corea 2012 to come!