Dr. Kim Jin-guk, the director of B&L Gangnam Bright World Eye Center, has been a part of the development history of ophthalmology in Korea. He was the first in Korea to perform LASIK surgery in 1999 and the first to introduce presbyopia surgery in 2000. He also introduced state-of-the-art equipment and was the first in Korea to implement a vision correction prediction system using AI.
As such, Dr. Jin Kook Kim, an authority in the field of refractive surgery, received the 2020 Minish.
“We introduced AI to prevent customers’ vision from being determined by uncertain luck,” said Dr. Kim Jin-guk, CEO of the hospital, adding, “We will create a hospital where medical treatment, surgery, and management are based on extremely objective and quantifiable data, not on the outcome of surgery based on the choice of medical staff, and a good hospital where both customers and medical staff get the best results.”
How Kimreceived the Minish
Dr. Kim wanted to straighten his teeth, but was hesitant because he didn’t like the idea of grinding down healthy teeth, until he met Minish. Minish assured him that there was little damage to his teeth.
In fact, Dr. Kim was pleased with the results, saying, “When I received the Minish, they showed me an exact before-and-after comparison of my teeth, and there was almost no grinding. It’s just the shape that’s been straightened.”
Ophthalmologists are concerned about minimizing corneal damage, and Minish’s approach to treating natural teeth as conservatively as possible seems to resonate with them.
The Minishexperience was extra special
Dr. Kim had experienced chipped teeth many times due to his habit of biting hard things when he was nervous. After using Minish, he said that he used to feel ‘ouch’ after applying a lot of force to his teeth as per his habit, but when he saw that his teeth were still strong, he realized the superiority of Minish. “Since then, I have been recommending Minish to others with more confidence,” said Kim.
“When I was younger, I thought my hairstyle was a big part of my appearance, but as I got older, the center of my appearance seemed to change to my teeth,” says Kim. Minish seems to be the answer for anti-aging in the centenarian era.”
As such, Minish is recognized by doctors as a solution for both dental health and aesthetics.
Developed and introduced the first vision correction prediction system in ophthalmology in Korea
Dr. Kim’s initial interest in AI stemmed from his desire to implement the best surgical methods for his patients based on objective data, rather than the choices and judgments of medical staff.
“Even the most skilled surgeon’s judgment is subjective, so sometimes the surgery is not optimized for the patient’s eyes,” says Dr. Kim, “and we want to reduce such cases as much as possible.”
Whereas in the past, surgery was based on test results and medical judgment, the Vision Correction Prediction System (Beyond Light AI) analyzes the feasibility of surgery and the condition of the cornea based on machine-learned data.
If the cornea needs to be cut, the system can be utilized in a variety of areas, from determining the appropriate amount of cut to predicting the visual acuity for each surgery.
Based on 550,000 eyes of data, Be&Light’s AI tells you which surgery to do, what the rationale is, and what the expected outcome is when you enter your exam data. Each area is represented by a % and the customer chooses the surgery. In this way, Dr. Kim is leading a culture of safe vision correction surgery.
Localized radiation via K-Medical
Kim recently spearheaded the establishment of the Korea Medical Tourism Association to develop the domestic medical tourism industry and strengthen its global competitiveness. The association was registered as a corporation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and Kim has been active as its first president.
The association counts among its members some of the best hospitals in Gangnam, including B & Light, Minish Dental Hospital, Vanobagi Plastic Surgery Center, and Mozerim Plastic Surgery Center.
“I dare to say that the best hospitals in Korea are also the best in the world,” Kim said. “When foreign fans experience Korea’s advanced medical culture and fall in love with Korea, it truly raises the country’s national profile and benefits the country’s economy.”
On June 12, the Korea Medical Tourism Association successfully concluded its inaugural event, Medicon Festival, where foreign ambassadors, embassy staff, and influencers from more than 40 countries participated to experience Korea’s healthcare system firsthand and spread the word about the excellence of K-Medical.
We will continue to work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Grand Korea Leisure, and others to showcase the best of K-medicine to foreign patients coming to Korea.
Kim’s move was hinted at in a talk he gave at Minish Dental Hospital last month.
Kim said that the hospital should take pride in its technology and systems, which are surprising even to foreigners. He said that internally, it’s routine, but when visiting doctors from abroad, they are amazed at the state-of-the-art infrastructure, systems, and expertise.
“Overseas doctors ask, ‘Is Korea like this? Is this possible?'” said Kim. Pride in K-medicine is understood to have driven the creation of the association.
For centenarians, presbyopia is a natural part of life. In other words, how well you take care of your eyes will determine your quality of life for the rest of your life.
This is why we should pay attention to BNB CEO Jin Kook Kim, who is not afraid of challenges and adventures to take responsibility for the health of patients using advanced medicine and big data.
