Soo Jung Lee, OD, FAAO

Optometrist | Corneal and Contact Management

4832 Briarcliff Rd NE Ste 1 Atlanta GA, 30345 Show map

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About

Dr. Soo Jung Lee is originally from Seoul, South Korea. She attended Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. She went on to graduate as class valedictorian from Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Vision Sciences and Doctor of Optometry Degree.

While at Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Lee was part of the executive board for the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society, Tomb and Key Honor Society, American Optometric Student Association, and Cornea and Contact Lens Society. She was a founding member of ‘All Bonding Through Life and Eyes’, a mental health organization for future optometrists. She participated in many volunteer efforts as part of the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH), which included an eyecare mission trip to St. Lucia. She completed her residency at Georgia Eye Partners, specializing in Ocular Disease, Ocular and Refractive Surgery, and Specialty Contact Lens – where she became proficient in fitting specialty contact lenses for keratoconus and irregular corneas. She was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, in recognition of her commitment to high standards of competence and excellence in optometry.

Education and Training

Illinois College of Optometry OD 2022

Board Certification

American Board of Optometry

Provider Details

Female English, Korean

Soo Jung Lee, OD, FAAO

Soo Jung Lee, OD, FAAO's Expert Contributions

My Answers

Swollen upper eyelid
This looks like a stye, or in medical terms, a hordeolum. A hordeola usually from a bacterial infection of the oil gland inside of the eyelid. READ MORE
Cat licked my eyeball
Difficult to tell if it looks malignant based on that photo as it is blurry. It would be a good idea to photo document it every few months to monitor. If you are concerned about that area changing in size, shape, color, elevation, and/or it becomes more vascularized, I would definitely recommend go seeing a doctor. READ MORE
Can my eye be fixed
Yes, orbital floor fractures can be surgically repaired with an oculoplastic specialist ophthalmologist. READ MORE
Muddy Sclera
Are you asking why your sclera looks “muddy”? That can be from a variety of things. A pinguecula is a elevated growth in the white part of your eye that can be white, yellow, pink ir even red if inflamed. Jaundice can cause the sclera to look yellow, due to a build up of bilirubin. Some people have patches of brown pigment called melanin on their sclera as well. READ MORE
Eye redness and pain
I would definitely recommend going to see a doctor if you feel like your symptoms persist or worsen. It is also important not to rub your eyes, and to only use eye drops that have been recommended directly by eye care practitioners such as optometrists and ophthalmologists. READ MORE
Can Lasik fix both astigmatism and near vision?
Yes, LASIK can correct nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism. I would recommend getting a refractive surgery consultation to know what you are a candidate for. READ MORE
Can I get Lasik on one eye?
Yes you can. I would recommending getting a refractive surgery consult to know what you are a candidate for. READ MORE
Is Lasik surgery safe for the retina?
LASIK is a procedure involving the very front window of your eye, the cornea. The retina is the tissue layering the very back wall of the eye. Although the risk is not zero, LASIK is very unlikely to affect the retina. READ MORE
Redness of eye won’t go away
I would definitely go see an eye doctor for an evaluation, as there are many different things that could potentially be causing you your issue. I am also concerned since you had organic matter damage your eye, you may be at risk of a microbial infection. Do not wear contact lens if you are suspecting any infection. READ MORE
What is the treatment for childhood myopia?
Myopia can be corrected with glasses and contact lens. However, it is more important to control myopia and slow its progression. Myopia is a disease that causes an eye to become too long and too fast, especially in children. This lengthening causes break down of the structures in the eye, leading to increased and earlier risk of cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic macular degeneration. The latter three of those conditions can cause irreversible blindness. Methods for myopia control eye drops called atropine, ortho-keratology, soft contact lens specifically designed for myopia control, multifocal soft contact lenses. Although not available in the US, there are some options for myopia control via glasses as well. READ MORE
Can keratoconus be stopped?
Corneal cross linking is a procedure used to halt the progression of keratoconus. It is very important however that even after that procedure, you don’t rub your eyes - anything that can cause mechanical friction to your eyes. This is because keratoconus is not “cured” or eliminated after this procedure. After corneal cross linking, you may need special hard contacts for your best visual potential. READ MORE
How many days is recovery after LASIK?
Most people can go back to all their normal activities the very next day, such as working on the computer, cooking in the kitchen, getting dinner with friends, etc. After LASIK, you will need return for a follow up appointment, where your vision will be checked to determine if you are safe to drive. In regards to physical restrictions, most doctors will tell you not to do too much strenuous exercise, avoid water to the eyes (no pool, sauna, jacuzzi, ocean, lake, etc), and no eye make up for about 1-2 weeks. READ MORE
How long is an eye retina exam?
This depends on what kind if practice you are going to. If you are going to a retina specialist ophthalmologist, some practices disclose to patients before the appointment to expect 2-3 hour exam times and dilation. Dilation alone will take 15-20 minutes before the doctor can examine your eyes. READ MORE
Can Lasik fix astigmatism?
LASIK, just like other refractive surgeries such as PRK, ICL and SMILE, can correct your astigmatism. If your refractive error is purely astigmatism - you may not be a candidate if you have too little, or too much astigmatism. I would recommend getting a refractive surgery consultation so you know what you are a candidate for! READ MORE
When can I fly after LASIK surgery?
Although there are no flight restrictions after LASIK, you should be taking it easy for at least the first 24-48 hours for several different reasons. - You were most likely given an anti-anxiety medication before the procedure - You might be light sensitive to bright lights due to the procedure - You don’t want to be in an environment that can potentially aggravate the surface of your eye (i.e. dusty, windy, allergens, dry, etc). Most importantly though, it’s not that you can’t fly, but because you need to follow up with your optometrist/ophthalmologist at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month. (Usually). READ MORE
How long does it take to adjust to contact lenses?
This depends. For soft contact lenses: If you are a new contact lens wearer, you will first need to learn how to insert, remove and care for the contacts. This is a challenging skill, and most people can take a week to get proficient with it! Until then, some mild discomfort, redness, irritation, tearing, and foreign body sensation can be felt - since you are holding your eyes open for lengths if time, while trying to insert plastic into your eye. If you are a contact lens wearer and have a prescription change, this also depends. Contacts with astigmatism can take a little longer to adapt to than contacts without astigmatism. If you are trying monovision or multifocal contacts for the first time, this will take even longer to adapt. And then finally, it just depends on the person! Some people can adapt to multifocal contacts within seconds. Some people can take 2 weeks to adapt to even a straightforward prescription. If you feel like you are having trouble adjusting, just call your doctor and let them know! READ MORE
Why do I see better with my glasses than contacts?
I get asked this question often! The short answer is: it depends on each individual patient. Your refractive error prescription can be made up of the following: - Nearsightedness or myopia, is when things are more blurry far away and you can see better at near - Farsightedness or hyperopia, is when things are more blurry up close and you can see better at the far distance (unless you are young) - Astigmatism, is when the refracting surfaces of your eye are not spherical and round but more oval like a football, thus can cause defocus at both distance and near - Axis, the orientation of the astigmatic oval eye since it is not completely spherical. Thus if you have astigmatism, you may notice the image bend and change as you rotate your glasses lens in front of your eye In glasses, typically myopia/hyperopia/astigmatism can be adjusted in 0.25 diopter steps (diopters are units of refractive error). The axis can be adjusted in 1 degree steps. In contact lens, myopia/hyperopia can be adjusted in 0.25 diopter steps unless you have a higher refractive error (usually over 6). Astigmatism is usually adjusted in 0.50 diopter steps and is only incorporated in your contact lens if it is 0.75 and higher. The axis is usually only able to be adjusted in 10 degree steps. So you can imagine if your refractive error parameters are in between those adjustments, your glasses will be more precise than the contacts. However! If your refractive error is very high, the thickness of the glasses lenses or the compression that was needed to thin your thick lenses can cause aberrations. Aberrations are imperfections or distortions in how light is focused through the glasses lenses, like when youre looking through a pair of glasses and things appear a bit blurry or distorted around the edges. These imperfections can cause things to look less sharp or clear than they should. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

KeratoconusCorneal ectasiaPost-Corneal transplantGlaucomaCataractsDry eyeDiabetic retinopathyMacular degenerationMyopia control

Awards

Valedictory Award 2022 Illinois College of Optometry
Dr. Henry J. Luckhardt Memorial Award 2022 Dr. Henry J. Luckhardt
Faculty Scholarship 2022 Illinois College of Optometry

Professional Memberships

Georgia Optometric Association
American Academy of Optometry
Greater Atlanta Optometric Association
American Optometric Association
Tomb and Key Honor Society
Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society
Gold Key International Optometric Honor Society

Charities and Philanthropic Endeavors

Great Shape Inc
Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity

Internships

Externship at Villages VA Outpatient Clinic in The Villages Florida, Georgia Eye Partners in Atlanta Georgia, Illinois Eye Institute in Chicago Illinois, Werner Optometry in El Cajon California

Fellowships

Residency at Georgia Eye Partners, specializing in Ocular Disease, Cornea and Contact Lenses, Ocular and Refractive Surgery

Professional Society Memberships

Tomb and Key Honor Society, Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society, Gold Key International Optometric Honor Society

Professional Affiliations

Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Georgia Optometric Association, Greater Atlanta Optometric Association, American Optometric Association

Articles and Publications

The Effect of the King-Devick Reading Acceleration Program on Gross Motor Performance in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder, A Pilot Study. Vision Development & Rehabilitation. 2023Evaluated the effects of implementing an at-home King-Devick Reading Acceleration Program (K-D RAP) on ASD patients that were undergoing a gross motor development program.OCT Macular Ganglion Cell Layer Step Patterns and Their Relationship to Visual Field Nasal Step Defects and Other Parameters in Glaucoma and Glaucoma Suspect Patients. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. 2023Investigated the relationship between spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) temporal ganglion cell layer (GCL) probability plot step patterns and visual field sensitivity near the nasal horizontal raphe.

What do you attribute your success to?

Coming to the U.S. alone as a teenager and being extremely disadvantaged in regards to money, leisure and education at the beginning. This created a scarcity and hustle mindset that I continue to do this day.

Areas of research

Analysis of macular ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer thickness in glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients with Cirrus HD-OCT. 2020-2022.Investigated relationships between ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer parameters and other variables in glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspect patients, with emphasis on the relationship between the squeegee sign and visual field defects.

Awards

Valedictory Award, Dr. Henry J. Luckhardt Memorial Award, Faculty Scholarship, Exceptional Tutor Award, American Academy of Optometry Student Fellowship, Clinical Excellence Award

Philanthropic Initiatives

Great Shape Inc. iCARE and Student Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity Mission Trip to St. Lucia 2021. Student Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity 2018-2020

Teaching and speaking

A Case of Serratia Marcescens Keratitis after Corneal Transplant. 2022Presented a case report about a Hispanic male that developed a Serratia marcescens keratitis on his corneal graft.Specialty Lens Cases Ive Seen as a Kosmos Klone. 2023.Discussed scleral lens fitting on corneal scarring secondary to exposure keratopathy, scleral lens refitting on a keratoconus patient after cataract surgery, specialty lens fitting on a patient with Boston keratoprosthesis and two glaucoma tube shunts, cosmetic lens fitting on a patient with penetrating keratoplasty after ocular trauma. Discussed identifying and correcting for higher order aberrations.