Buying Glasses in Brazil
HAVANA TIMES – Given how bad healthcare is in Cuba, most of us spend our lives ignoring our health problems. However, since arriving in Brazil and settling down, I have gradually started to appreciate the benefits of a healthy life.
This includes not only eating well, drinking plenty of water, and exercising but also addressing health issues that have been lingering for years. I’ve already written about dental clinics, and now it’s time to talk about eye clinics.
As it turns out, with age and frequent use of digital devices, my vision has started to deteriorate. I first became aware of it when I struggled to read the expiration dates on chicken boxes at work—sometimes barely managing to do so.
I spent a couple of months in indecision, knowing, thanks to my wife, who has worn glasses her whole life, the cost of glasses here in Brazil. Our four-year-old daughter has also recently started wearing glasses.
Each pair for them cost over 500 reais (approximately $90 at the exchange rate at the time). So, even though it was possible to pay in installments, I was still hesitant.
With December approaching and receiving my year-end bonus at work, I decided it was time. Seeing an ad for a clinic on Facebook, I contacted them.
I scheduled an appointment and went in to have my vision tested. The exam, which cost 50 reais (about $9), revealed I have astigmatism with presbyopia (age-related farsightedness) of 1.25 diopters—a moderate level. At a small store within the same clinic (called Buena Vision), I chose the frames that I liked best and suited my face.
A week later, I picked up my glasses, and that was it. They recommended wearing them at home for seven days before going out with them, but I adapted so quickly that the next day I was already wearing them to work.
The glasses cost me 640 reais (about $105 at the current exchange rate), of which I paid half upfront and split the rest into four installments. After nearly a month of using them, they have greatly benefited me, and they still look great and fit perfectly on my face.