BGSS Eye Clinic: eye clinic in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul

Leading treatments

SMILE laser eye surgery

SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction) corrects short-sightedness with a femtosecond laser that cuts a thin lens-shaped piece of tissue inside the cornea, which the surgeon removes through a small incision, without a corneal flap. BGSS Eye Clinic offers ZEISS SMILE, which it also calls SMILE LASIK, and ZEISS SMILE Pro; the clinic says it uses the ZEISS VisuMax 500 for SMILE and the VisuMax 800 for SMILE Pro. The regular prices printed on the clinic's Korean event pages are ₩3,200,000 for SMILE and ₩4,700,000 for SMILE Pro. The pages do not print the eye basis; this listing reads them as both eyes because the clinic's fee notice prices vision correction for both eyes. VAT is not stated, and the fee notice has no separate SMILE line. A students' offer prices SMILE at ₩2,100,000 for exam-takers and students who show proof (an exam ticket, student ID, admission letter or graduation certificate), from 20 October 2026 to 28 February 2027; the event page does not say whether foreign patients can use it. The clinic says the SMILE Pro laser step takes under 10 seconds per eye, that numbing eye drops are used, and that most people return to desk work within 1–2 days.

ICL (implantable lens)

An implantable collamer lens (ICL) is a thin lens placed inside the eye, in front of the natural lens, without removing corneal tissue. BGSS Eye Clinic uses STAAR Surgical's EVO and EVO+ ICL (called Aqua ICL on its Korean pages), V-Toric ICL for astigmatism and the presbyopia ICL Viva; it also offers the Artiflex lens. The clinic's fee notice of 1 October 2026 lists phakic intraocular lens implantation at ₩4,200,000–₩13,000,000 for both eyes, with the lens and medication included. The regular price of Aqua ICL on the clinic's October 2026 Korean event page is ₩5,800,000–₩7,000,000, read as both eyes; the clinic announced an EVO+ ICL price increase from 1 October 2026. Artiflex costs ₩4,100,000–₩6,100,000 on the same page. VAT is not stated. The clinic says most people return to daily activities within 24–48 hours and that eye pressure is checked on the day of surgery and the next day.

LASIK

LASIK reshapes the cornea with a laser under a thin flap; at BGSS Eye Clinic the flap is cut with a ZEISS VisuMax femtosecond laser (bladeless LASIK, which the clinic calls VISU LASIK). The clinic's fee notice of 1 October 2026 lists LASIK at ₩2,100,000–₩6,000,000 for both eyes, materials and medication included, VAT not stated. The clinic's Korean event pages print a separate regular price of ₩1,600,000–₩2,700,000 for laser LASIK or LASEK, which starts below the notice's minimum; ask which price applies to you. The clinic says the laser takes seconds per eye, with about 10–15 minutes in the room, and that functional vision usually returns the next day.

LASEK

LASEK, a surface treatment close to PRK, reshapes the cornea without cutting a flap; the surface layer heals under a bandage contact lens. The clinic offers LASEK and PRK and calls its version 2DAY LASEK in Korean. The fee notice lists LASEK at ₩1,300,000–₩3,400,000 for both eyes, materials and medication included, VAT not stated. The clinic says there is more discomfort for the first 2–3 days, that functional vision for daily tasks takes 3–5 days, and that patients should plan about a week so the bandage lens can be removed and the eye checked before flying.

Cataract surgery

Cataract surgery replaces the clouded natural lens of the eye with an artificial intraocular lens; multifocal and extended-depth-of-focus lenses are also used for presbyopia. BGSS Eye Clinic offers laser-assisted cataract surgery with CATALYS and VICTUS femtosecond lasers and premium lenses such as Alcon Clareon PanOptix Pro. The clinic's English website prices cataract or presbyopia lens surgery at ₩1,500,000–₩7,250,000 per eye, including the examination and standard medication, and says the price depends mainly on the lens. On the Korean fee notice, premium lens fees run from ₩1,100,000 to ₩4,700,000 per eye; Clareon PanOptix Pro costs ₩4,700,000 per eye. VAT is not stated. The clinic says surgery takes about 15–20 minutes per eye under numbing drops and that the second eye is usually treated after the first has been checked.

Presbyopia surgery

Presbyopia is the age-related loss of near focus. BGSS Eye Clinic treats it with presbyopia lens implantation and with the presbyopia ICL Viva (STAAR Surgical EVO Viva). The fee notice lists presbyopia correction at ₩2,300,000–₩24,000,000 for both eyes, materials and medication included. The regular price of the presbyopia ICL Viva is ₩7,000,000; the clinic does not say whether this is for one eye or both. VAT is not stated.

Eye examination

Before surgery the clinic carries out a diagnostic examination that measures corneal thickness and shape, wavefront, tear film and retina. The English website says it takes 2–3 hours and the Korean booking form says 2 hours; dilating drops blur near vision for 4–5 hours, so the clinic advises not to drive. The English website says the examination is included in surgery prices. The Korean fee notice also lists fixed-price examination packages for foreign patients: basic ₩100,000, presbyopia ₩150,000, retina ₩400,000, detailed glaucoma ₩400,000 and children's ₩100,000. The notice does not say what each package contains, and the clinic does not say whether a patient who is not a candidate for surgery pays for the examination.