This post is purely informational.
One thing you learn pretty quickly when you move overseas is that you’ll get sick a lot. This probably goes double for teachers who are around germ ridden children all day. When I first moved to Abu Dhabi nearly six years ago, my friends and I got sick every three weeks. I swear I counted it out. We’d get over one cold, enjoy a week of health, and then fall sick with another. Thankfully, it only took a few months until our immune systems could withstand the new batch of viruses.
This super immunity that I developed in Abu Dhabi served me well in Australia and Morocco. I definitely faired better during cold and flu season than my newly abroad co-workers in Marrakech. Unfortunately, my super immunity just met its match with a super cold here in Korea.
It started as a regular cold. I felt crummy for a couple of days but soon began to feel I was on the mend. That was until my sore throat returned, my right eye started to itch, and I was stricken with a nasty bout of viral conjunctivitis. On a Saturday night!
To those of you within Korea, you know why this sucks. To those of you outside of Korea, let me explain. Pretty much all clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies are closed on Sundays. Your main Sunday option is the Emergency Room or an emergency clinic and eye infections don’t really qualify. I spent most of the night awake searching forums for a place to get treated on a Sunday. No luck. Really, I should have just slept.
The next morning we contacted our co-worker who has a Korean girlfriend. His girlfriend was able to find me an eye doctor in just a few minutes. We hopped in a taxi, saw the doctor, picked up my prescription at the open pharmacy next door, grabbed a comfort food pizza, and were back home in less than an hour. To add to my relief, the doctor visit only cost $5. The two prescriptions were $4 total.
Of course, the eye infection wasn’t the end of it. The next day my cold decided to add a painful sinus infection to its repertoire. I was a bit of a mess. Red and swollen eyes, sore throat, sniffly nose, and quite the sinus headache. I’m sure my youngest students were scared of me. I was a little scared of myself.
So, if you are here because you need an eye doctor in Suwon on a Sunday, I know just the place. Dr. Lee’s Eye Clinic is located near Paldalmun Gate and has a logo of an eye clearly marking the building. We showed our taxi driver the photo of the map below and he recognized the location immediately. The doctor I saw was kind and spoke enough English to communicate clearly. I went for a follow up visit a few days later and was able to see the same doctor.
Here are the photos you’ll need:
To those of you seeking an eye doctor, I hope this helps. Good luck!
xo, jill
