glasses

Usually it's a sign that you have eyesight which needs correction.........no I'm not being smart. Many Dominicans wear glasses. Some of the poor can't afford them. Can I ask what prompted the question?

Anywhere in the world you wear glasses because your sight isn't good. If you can afford them you wear them if not then you don't. I've never heard of this being a status quo thing int he DR.

I can see the relavance of the question. It has to do with the cost of things we might take for granted, that are out of reach of the average dominican. Proper eye care might be something that many families can not afford...if you take the cost of good eye glasses and the exams, and add in the taxes that go on top of those items to get them into the country...it can be over $500 for just a pair of good frames and lenses.

I doubt the average motoconcho driver is dumping that much money into seeing better.

just health care IN GENERAL is out of reach of so many people.

It amazes me how many totally unbelievably crippled people i see in and around Santiago....that are that way because of an accident....people with JOINTS in their bones where god never made a joint!!!!!!!!

bob

where is the closest optometrist (spelling?) to Cabarete.........help

There is a mobile eye care center that travels from town to town. Exams are free to all Dominicans who care to have their eyes checked. It has "computerized" equipment. I have been in one, and was quite impressed. There is a selection of new frames of all price ranges. For those who cannot afford those frames and/or lenses, the lions clubs around the country provide them, free. I know several people in the Guananico area with glasses courtesy of their local lions club.

As in any other country, eyeglasses, in the latest styles, are a status symbol. It is no different here. But, there are affordable and free services as well. Ask any Dominican in the Campo.

natura said:

where is the closest optometrist (spelling?) to Cabarete.........help

Click to expand...

Take a day trip to Santiago - there are a lot of eye care places to choose from that give you same day services. Expect to pay between RD2500 and RD4000. ALWAYS barter on the price!

Hello,
I work as a volunteer in a barrio outside of Cabarete. There is a 9-year-old girl in my class that desparately needs glasses. I can tell she is a pretty smart girl, but she can't see the blackboard (even from a few feet away) and uses all her other senses to figure things out. Being able to see would really help her get to the next level. Her family has NO money and I am thinking I will spring for the glasses. I am now trying to figure out the logistics (I don't know if the mother is going to be wild about her daughter disappearing with a middle-aged Gringo for a trip into POP). Does anyone have any more information on the mobile exam deal (like a website or something), or know when it will be in or around Cabarete (I will be here until March 1)? That way I can get the prescription and figure out how to get it filled next (I have learned you have to do things a step at a time here).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Our friend Karen provides eyecare for the poor through "Dominican Eyes"
Dominican Eyes
Can give you phone number if you PM me

If the security measures are any indication of the cost of eye glasses in Santiago then they must be expensive. Visited 2 women that work in an Optometrist shop in the business district and i needed to be buzzed in like a jewerly store in the states. Are these places robbed alot?