| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
bradshaw
Joined: 13 Feb 2007
|
 Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:24 pm Post subject: Having your properly eyes tested in Seoul |
 |
|
As much as I hate to come to terms with, it appears as though my health is failing in my old age and I need glasses.  On the bright side, I'm in the right country for cheap glasses! I'm wondering if anyone can recommend somewhere to have my eyes tested. I'm not sure that I trust the guys running the glasses booths in Dongdaemun and Namdaemun ... or should I? I have seen the way they test before my friends bought glasses, but they knew their prescriptions and the test took all of 2 minutes. I don't think I've ever seen an opthamologist in Seoul, though I've haven't been looking up until recently. What have you done when it became clear you needed glasses?
Many thanks. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
climber159
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Are you looking for the type of eye exam where your eyes are dilated and the DOCTOR tests for diseases in addition to determining your prescription? I don't know where you go for that. However, the glasses and contacts that I picked up in Namdaemun and a couple other locations were spot on. When I returned to the US I met with an opthamologist for the full work up. I asked if he could check my Korean glasses...they nearly matched the prescription! (It had been a couple of years between getting my Korean glasses and meeting with this opthamologist so my prescription had changed ever so slightly.) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:55 pm Post subject: Re: Having your properly eyes tested in Seoul |
|
|
| bradshaw wrote: |
As much as I hate to come to terms with, it appears as though my health is failing in my old age and I need glasses. On the bright side, I'm in the right country for cheap glasses! I'm wondering if anyone can recommend somewhere to have my eyes tested. I'm not sure that I trust the guys running the glasses booths in Dongdaemun and Namdaemun ... or should I? I have seen the way they test before my friends bought glasses, but they knew their prescriptions and the test took all of 2 minutes. I don't think I've ever seen an ophthalmologist in Seoul, though I've haven't been looking up until recently. What have you done when it became clear you needed glasses?
Many thanks. |
Unless you need specialized medical attention for your eyes, or surgery then an ophthalmologist is indeed going to the extreme (like going to a plastic surgeon for simple stitches).
For simple medical concerns and basic testing any optometrist (think medical GP for eyes) can take care of it and for just eyeglasses any decent optician would be adequate.
Testing is simple for most. Place your chin in the reader and it will scan your eye and compare / match / focus the image on the back of your retina to determine your prescription.
They then, if you have not had glasses before or there is some question in the reading from the machine they will do a comparative test with actual lenses (interchangeable) in a hard frame to confirm your prescription.
You then choose your frames and they make the glasses. Depending on your prescription it will take from 1 hour (most common, single vision lenses) to about 7 days (custom lenses (varilux / progressive lenses) for example).
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradshaw
Joined: 13 Feb 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thank you so much for your quick replies.
No, I don't believe I need specialized medical attention or testing for diseases for my eyes.
When you say to visit any optometrist, would the staff that work at the glasses booths in Dongdaemun etc or the proper glasses shops? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bradshaw wrote: |
Thank you so much for your quick replies.
No, I don't believe I need specialized medical attention or testing for diseases for my eyes.
When you say to visit any optometrist, would the staff that work at the glasses booths in Dongdaemun etc or the proper glasses shops? |
For your 1st set of lenses, I would go to a regular eyeglass shop rather than a kiosk (usually better selection) but the service is usually comparable.
I doubt that you need the actual services of an optometrist, an optician can deal with simple lens prescriptions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bradshaw
Joined: 13 Feb 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Alright ttompatz, thanks for your advice. Much appreciated.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
