fifteen minutes and $60 later...

Earlier this evening, I finally did something I'd been meaning to do for months: I got new contact lenses. The process was startlingly quick: I took a one-minute eye test (read the numbers on the chart aloud, covering one eye at a time) without having to remove my old contacts; I was then asked whether I remembered the prescription strength for my lenses, to which I answered "no." I was then asked to remove my contacts, which were examined under a microscope-like device, and I was quickly offered a new pair of lenses that plopped perfectly onto my eyes on the very first try.

Done.

The same treatment in the States would have cost me over $100 (I've enjoyed so-called $99 "deals" in Virginia before) and taken the better part of an hour. To be in and out that fast, and for only $60, test and all, was nothing short of amazing. All praise to the caretakers of Korean eyeballs!

I've been lucky, I suppose, when it comes to health care here. My dentist is great (many thanks to Sperwer for having recommended her to me) and I've stumbled on a local optometrist/eyewear seller who knows his stuff. "I've been in this neighborhood for thirty years!" he told me proudly. He then gave me a five-dollar bottle of saline solution for free.


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