If you’re planning a trip to Seoul, South Korea; aside from eating amazing food, seeing beautiful sights and just having a great time, you may also be able to take advantage of the country’s high quality yet affordable medical services. Korea’s high tech amenities yet lower prices compared to other countries with similar quality has made it a popular location for medical tourism. If you need new glasses, just want to try some new frames or, like me, ran out of contact lenses right before your trip to Korea, I highly recommend getting glasses and contact lenses in Seoul! There was no prescription or insurance required of me, the prices were cheaper than North America, and a free eye exam was included with my purchase.

This post is based on my personal experience and research. I am not responsible for fluctuating prices or disappointment upon following my advice.

Where to Find Glasses and Contacts in Seoul

As far as specifically where to get glasses and contacts in Seoul, I recommend you head to the popular tourist neighborhood of Myeongdong. This colorful, bustling, central area is famous for amazing street food, skincare and fashion.

Why do I recommend getting glasses or contacts in Myeongdong specifically? There is an unusually high concentration of optometrists in this area. The other main reason is that, as this area caters to tourists, there are many stores which offer service in English. Even though I’ve been working on my Korean language skills for a while, they are not nearly good enough to explain my needs for an eye exam and choosing which lenses I want!

My Experience

While there were many reputable chain locations to choose from, I went with Davich Optical for my contact lenses. They were so kind and professional, really taking their time with my eye exam and insuring I got the best product. While many places can offer you frames/lenses in the same day, since my eyes required rather specific and high strength lenses, it took them just a few days to order them for me. I just gave them my email address so they could notify me when they were ready for pickup.

Affordability

I was also very happy with the price. Obviously prices vary greatly based on a number of factors but I can say I paid about 40% less than what I would have in the United States for the same product and brand. I was also provided a couple of lens cases and cleaning solution at no extra cost. As far as how much glasses cost in Seoul, again, there’s a large range from basic frames to designer brands. Just from looking in the display cases, I saw the frames on the lower price end were about 50,000 – 70,000 Won (Around $40 – $55 USD at the time of this writing). I think it’s safe to say that glasses and contacts in South Korea are overall less expensive than in the United States.

You can search popular stores like Davich, Olens and Gana Glasses on the Korean app Kakao Maps (as Google maps is sometimes inaccurate in South Korea) for exact coordinates. There are at least a dozen places for glasses and contacts in the very walkable neighborhood of Myeongdong.

Getting glasses or contact lenses in Seoul is so easy and affordable. I was able to walk in without an appointment, get a free eye exam right away and pickup up my lenses in just a few days. Even if you don’t need prescription lenses, many of these stores also offer fun “fashion lenses” and colored contacts as well. It’s a great service to take advantage of if you’re going to be in South Korea.

Thanks for reading! If you are planning a trip in Seoul, make sure you check out my South Korea packing list for all your travel essentials!