Tweet01-09-2010 om 10:34 by Amanda Potter

No matter who you are, good vision (assisted or otherwise) is important. After all, you wouldn't want to miss out on seeing all the interesting places you read about here on Maastricht Region. Fortunately for most people with a vision impairment, the Netherlands is an easy place to get new glasses or contacts.

My eyeglass adventure began in Maastricht at Het Huis Opticiens, where they were taking walk-ins on a quiet Saturday morning. Unlike in the United States, the opticians are licensed to provide you with a prescription for glasses and contacts. This squashes the lines, and makes the turn around times much quicker. The walk-in appointments are basically eye chart checks, a test for astigmatism and measuring the curvature of your eyeballs (for contacts). Joyfully no dilation or air puffing is involved.

After the check-up and picking out frames I was told my new glasses and contacts would be ready in 1-2 weeks. In my case, I got a call a mere 4 days later. I picked up the frames at the same time I went for my contacts appointment.

The cost of glasses varies widely but I managed to get a decent pair on sale for approximately 200 euros. Unfortunately many Dutch vision insurances doesn't reimburse much, if anything, and it is always an add-on to your regular medical insurance.

Getting new contact lenses is only slightly more involved than getting glasses. When my trail pair arrived, I had an appointment to learn how to put in the tiny lenses. After that appointment, I set another for 2 weeks later. This is so the optician can follow up with me regarding my adjustment, comfort, and whether I want to keep using them.

The "normal" contacts start around 20 euros per month and includes one pair of monthly contacts and the solution to clean them.

The fact that opticians handle eye appointment for glasses means you'll need to be more proactive if you have special eye needs or concerns. I'll probably need to arrange periodic check-ups for my own eyes. Any medical appointments with an eye doctor need to be referred like any other specialist. On the upside, your regular insurance probably will cover such appointments.

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