Twenty years, one address, one specialty.
GS Eye Center opened in 2005 as Gangnam Saebit Eye Clinic and later took the GS name, operating at the same Gangnam Station address the whole time. By 2023 it had performed 300,000 combined vision-correction and cataract surgeries, and by April 2026 it had reached 15,000 SMILE Pro eyes per ZEISS's count.
The clinic's motto — "a house of people of good will" — and its slogan: skill makes sight.
What has GS actually done since 2005?
Every entry below comes from the clinic's published history. Certifications and volume milestones are attributed to the certifying company where the clinic states one.
| Year | Milestones |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Designated a SILK TRAINING Center · Reached 15,000 SMILE Pro eyes (April 2026, per ZEISS) |
| 2025 | Johnson & Johnson ELITA laser installed · Dedicated SILK operating room built · Began PhakiFlex KPL lens implantation (Koryo Eyetech) · Began VIVA SILK and VIVA ICL presbyopia procedures · Awarded OPHTEC ArtiPLUS Expert Certificate · Reached 3,000 Optiflex GLAZE implantations |
| 2024 | Reached 5,000 SMILE Pro eyes (October 2024, per ZEISS) · Designated Biotech Asia-Pacific clinical training institution · Reached 3,000 Alcon PanOptix lens surgeries · AcuTron device introduced for conjunctivochalasis · Dr. Kim Mu-yeon appointed adjunct professor, Catholic University College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology |
| 2023 | Designated a ZEISS SMILE pro CENTER · Dedicated SMILE Pro operating room built · ZEISS VISUMAX 800 installed, first SMILE Pro performed August 14 · Reached 300,000 combined vision-correction and cataract surgeries · Began OPHTEC ArtiPLUS presbyopia lens surgery · Designated a clinical education institution by Catholic University College of Medicine · Designated HOYA Vivinex Gemetric Asia-Pacific clinical training institution |
| 2022 | Appointed a Gangnam District medical tourism partner institution · Cataract and retina center remodeling completed · Reached 1,000 Biotech GLAZE lens implantations |
| 2021 | Certified as ZEISS SMILE GOLD CLUB (2021, per ZEISS certification) · Social contribution MOU signed with E-Land Foundation · Reached 2,000 Alcon PanOptix lens surgeries |
| 2020 | Laser exam center expanded and relocated · SMILE LASIK program certified to ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 international standards · GS brand competition held · Ziemer FEMTO LDV Z8 installed for laser cataract surgery |
| 2019 | Surgical center expanded and relocated · Dedicated SMILE LASIK operating room built · ZEISS VISUMAX 500 dual system established · Began Biotech GLAZE lens implantation · Reached 5,000 ZEISS AT LISA tri lens surgeries |
| 2018 | Expanded onto the 16th floor of Mijin Plaza |
| 2017 | Reached 1,000 Alcon ReSTOR lens surgeries · Appointed a distinguished presbyopia & cataract surgery authority by the Asia-Pacific refractive society · Dry eye clinic opened · Obtained ISO 9001 (medical quality) and ISO 14001 (medical environment) |
| 2016 | ZEISS VISUMAX 500 installed; SMILE LASIK began |
| 2014 | SCHWIND AMARIS RED 1050s installed · Partnership agreement with KAWANO Eye Hospital (Japan) · Partnership agreement with Eagle Vision eye hospital (Singapore) |
| 2012 | Joint research with Catholic University College of Medicine anatomy department on a necrotizing scleritis inhibitor · Joint research with an LG Life Sciences team on corneal wound healing using NecroX |
| 2011 | iFS 60, Allegretto Blue Line, MEL-80 and VISX Star S4 IR surgical lasers introduced · Avellino DNA testing introduced |
| 2010 | Clinical agreement with Fudan University eye hospital, Shanghai · Mutual exchange agreement with VISTA Eye Center, Malaysia · Plaque of appreciation from the governor of Tien Giang, Vietnam |
| 2009 | 24 ophthalmologists from northeastern China and Shandong trained at GS · Mutual exchange agreement with the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences ophthalmology department · Mutual exchange agreement with HOYA (Japan) · Plaque of appreciation from the Korea Editors' Association |
| 2005 | Opened as Gangnam Saebit Eye Clinic, later renamed GS Eye Center · Abbott IntraLase FS laser introduced — all-laser LASIK began · Received OPHTEC's "Artisan Best Skilled User" designation (award title as issued by OPHTEC) · ASA Vision research center founded; certified as an ASA LASEK surgical institution · Presented high-myopia correction using ASA LASEK at the ESCRS congress in Barcelona |
Has GS worked with patients and doctors from abroad?
The clinic's international track record spans agreements with hospitals and universities across Asia, plus a medical-tourism appointment from its own district government.
Gangnam District medical tourism partner
Appointed a medical tourism partner institution by Gangnam District, the Seoul district where the clinic operates.
Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences
Mutual exchange agreement with the university's ophthalmology department.
Fudan University eye hospital, Shanghai
Clinical agreement with the Shanghai university hospital; in 2009, 24 ophthalmologists from northeastern China and Shandong trained at GS.
KAWANO Eye Hospital
Partnership agreement, alongside a 2009 mutual exchange agreement with HOYA of Japan.
Eagle Vision eye hospital
Partnership agreement with the Singapore eye hospital.
VISTA Eye Center & Tien Giang
Mutual exchange agreement with VISTA Eye Center in Malaysia, and a plaque of appreciation from the governor of Tien Giang province, Vietnam.
About the clinic's history
Yes. It opened in 2005 as Gangnam Saebit Eye Clinic and was later renamed GS Eye Center, operating in the same building at Gangnam Station throughout — expanding onto additional floors in 2018–2020 rather than relocating.
They are certifications issued by ZEISS, the German maker of the VISUMAX lasers: SMILE GOLD CLUB membership (2021, per ZEISS certification), designation as a SMILE pro CENTER (2023) and the surgical volume counts — 5,000 SMILE Pro eyes by October 2024 and 15,000 by April 2026. The SILK TRAINING Center designation (2026) relates to the Johnson & Johnson ELITA platform.
The published record includes training 24 Chinese ophthalmologists (2009), exchange agreements with institutions in Mongolia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, and appointment as a Gangnam District medical tourism partner institution in 2022. English-language coordination for North American patients is handled through this site — see Your Journey.