Getting eyeglasses in South Korea is one of those rare experiences where convenience, speed, and affordability all come together in a way that feels almost effortless. Instead of the drawn-out process many people are used to—multiple appointments, long waits for lenses, and repeated follow-ups—everything is typically handled in a single visit, from eye exam to fitting and finishing. Despite the speed, the level of precision and quality is consistently high, which makes the entire experience especially memorable. Here’s what makes getting eyeglasses in Korea stand out.
Quick and Convenient Service
The speed is unbeatable. In the US, it takes weeks to see my optometrist, then a couple more weeks to receive my eyeglasses. In Korea, the entire process is usually under an hour.
Korean optometrists take patients on a walk-in basis. I walked into several optical stores, and all were ready to examine me immediately. They were also all equipped with high-tech in-house labs, so they were able to cut and fit the lenses quickly on-site. I chose to get my eyeglasses made at a random optical store in Suwon right around the corner from my accommodations. I received an exam and ordered 4 prescription eyeglasses – sunglasses, computer glasses, reading glasses, and distance glasses. The whole process took under an hour, and I walked out with three pairs of eyeglasses (I had to go back the next day for my sunglasses because they happened to be out of stock of the particular tinted lenses I wanted). It may also take a bit longer if you have a very strong or complex prescription, which they can’t handle in their in-house lab.
Affordable Pricing
Cost is another major advantage, even without insurance.
I paid just $25 for each pair of eyeglasses, bringing my grand total to only $100 (eye exams are included with glasses). The lenses were thin and lightweight with anti-reflective coating, scratch-resistant coating, and blue light protection. I brought my own frames for no additional charge, but the optical shop had plenty to choose from, with frame prices generally much more affordable than the United States. Don’t be afraid to negotiate, especially if buying multiple items! Contact lenses are not much cheaper than the United States, so I held off on those.
There are numerous optical stores all throughout Korea, making prices pretty competitive, so I didn’t bother shopping around for the best price. It’s wise to ask for prices ahead of time to avoid any stores that may be tempted to overcharge unsuspecting tourists.
Frames Designed for Asian Faces
My Asian friends know the struggle is real. Eyeglasses in the United States do not fit our faces. Thankfully, the eyeglasses in Korea (whether they are Korean or international brands) are designed to fit Asian facial features. Korean frames have lower nose bridges to prevent slipping, better alignment for flatter facial profiles, and more comfortable temple lengths and angles. No more adding nose pads or constantly pushing your slipping, ill-fitting glasses back up on your face! I purchased several stylish frames from Blue Elephant for under $35 each (the much more affordable answer to the well-known “Gentle Monster”), and they were all a perfect fit!
Expertise in Vision Care for Asian Faces
Curiously, my Korean optometrist gave me a different prescription than the one I received from my optometrist in the United States just a couple months before. My Korean optometrist explained that Asians have facial features that are unique from other races, which affects how we see. Therefore, he conducts eye examinations differently depending on the patient’s race. I noticed this during my eye exam, which was noticeably different than my eye exams in the United States. To my surprise, I was able to see much better with the prescription from the Korean optometrist, who prescribed a lower prescription than what I was previously prescribed. My friend had the same experience when she visited another optometrist in Korea. Korean optometrists are happy to use a prescription you provide, but I highly recommend getting an examination in Korea for this reason.
A Seamless Experience for Visitors
Even if you don’t speak Korean, getting eyeglasses is very manageable. Many optical shops, especially those in busy areas like Namdaemun, are accustomed to assisting international customers. So on your next trip, be sure to leave time for a quick visit to a Korean optometrist. You might walk away with your new favorite pair of glasses.
The Five Best Shops
The five shops below are consistently the best-reviewed for English-speaking visitors specifically.
1. Davich Optical, Myeongdong Branch 62 Sogong-ro, Jung-gu | Myeongdong Station, Exit 6 Best for: First-timers, tourists, anyone who wants zero friction
This is the one. The Myeongdong branch is the flagship location of Korea’s largest optical chain, and it has been specifically organized around international customers. Staff speak fluent English, Japanese, and Chinese, not survival-level conversational but technical fluency: eye conditions, lens coatings, prescription notation, all of it. On a recent visit documented by the Korea Times, the three-story shop was selling around 200 pairs of glasses per day, with roughly 70 percent of sales going to foreign visitors. It has accumulated over 2,000 online reviews at an average of 4.9 out of 5.
Frames are organized on shelves by price tier (₩10,000, ₩30,000, ₩50,000, and so on), so there is no haggling. The chain manufactures its own lenses in-house and buys frames directly from producers, translating to prices 30 to 50 percent lower than equivalent quality in the US, Europe, or Japan. There is a café on the upper floor where you can wait with a complimentary drink while your lenses are cut. Walk-in only, no appointment needed.
One caveat: progressive lenses typically take three to seven days rather than thirty minutes, since they are custom-ground. If you wear progressives and are only in Seoul for a weekend, plan accordingly.
2. YUN Seoul, Seongsu Branch 66 Achasan-ro, Seongdong-gu | Ttukseom Station, Exit 1 Best for: Design-conscious buyers who want Korean-made premium frames
YUN began in Berlin in 2015, the collaboration of a fashion designer and a veteran of the eyewear industry, and its Seongsu flagship feels more like a gallery than an optician. The interiors were designed by local studio LABOTORY and reflect the refined minimalism that has made the brand popular across both Seongsu’s domestic millennial crowd and the growing contingent of young tourists who treat the neighborhood as a destination. Inside, a conveyor-belt production system runs glasses through from eye exam to finished product in roughly twenty minutes, and customers can watch the process from the floor.
The international DNA of the brand, which was built from the start to serve walk-in customers across language barriers in Berlin, means English communication is baked in rather than bolted on. Transparent, fixed pricing applies here as it does at the major chains.
3. Choeun Glasses, Namdaemun Market Namdaemun Market Optical Alley | Hoehyeon Station, Line 4, Exit 5 Best for: Value hunters, complex prescriptions, wholesale-level prices
Choeun Glasses has been operating for more than thirty years in the market that first put Korean optical retail on the map. It uses Carl Zeiss diagnostic equipment from Germany for its eye exams, carries both domestic and international frames, and has established a reputation precise enough that customers with high myopia, astigmatism, and multifocal prescriptions are regularly directed there. The broader Namdaemun market can feel chaotic for a first-time visitor, but Choeun is a known quantity with consistent quality. A full set of prescription glasses, including frame and lenses, can run as low as ₩30,000 to ₩60,000. Unless the prescription is unusually complex, glasses are ready the same day.
4. Look Optical, Ikseon-dong Branch Ikseondong Hanok Village, Jongno-gu | Jongno 3-ga Station Best for: Fashion-forward buyers who want a memorable setting
Look Optical opened this branch in Ikseon-dong to plant its fashion-forward aesthetic in Seoul’s oldest surviving hanok village, a neighborhood of low tiled rooftops and narrow alleys now lined with boutiques, cafés, and select shops. Look Optical is one of Korea’s two dominant optical chains alongside Davich, which means it carries the same fixed-pricing structure, the same same-day lens capabilities, and the same foreigner-ready systems that make the Korean approach so convenient. The Ikseon-dong location is worth visiting partly for the neighborhood itself. Getting prescription glasses fitted in a century-old hanok alley is not a thing that exists anywhere else in the world.
5. Bando Optical, Myeongdong Underground Shopping Mall Myeongdong Underground Shopping Center | Myeongdong Station Best for: Travelers without a written prescription
Bando Optical has been recommended by name in traveler forums and expat communities for years, primarily because it requires no written prescription. Bring your current pair of glasses, and staff feed them into a machine that reads the prescription directly. From there, you pick frames and return in a couple of hours. For travelers who left their prescription documentation at home, this removes the main logistical obstacle to the whole enterprise. The underground mall location means dozens of competing shops are within walking distance, which keeps prices competitive. Frames start from ₩10,000, and a complete pair typically runs ₩100,000 to ₩150,000.
