Trying Contact Lenses Again at a Sinchon Optician

Sinchon is one of those neighborhoods I think of when I have something to take care of. Clinics, bookstores, phone shops and opticians are all close together. When I thought about wearing contact lenses again, it was where I first thought to look.

I’d barely worn contacts in years. The ones I used before felt fine at first, then my eyes began to dry out and by the afternoon I could feel them every time I blinked. I usually wanted to take them out well before evening. Eventually I wore glasses most of the time and left contacts for the occasional day.

I wanted to try again for small practical reasons. Glasses could get in the way when I was walking for a long time or taking pictures. My previous experience made me reluctant to walk into the first shop I saw. I looked for a friendly, reasonably priced optician and found the Sinchon branch of Top Plus Optical.

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A Shop Below the Street

The shop can be a little hard to find on a first visit. Near Yonsei-ro, look for the building with an Olive Young at street level. A flight of stairs goes down to the shop.

The basement was brighter and more spacious than I expected. With the noise of the busy street cut off, it was somewhere I could sit and talk through what had gone wrong before.

I’d gone in to ask questions and was in no hurry to buy. I appreciated that the person working there simply asked what I needed and gave me time to explain.

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Talking Through What Had Been Uncomfortable

When I said I hadn’t worn lenses in a long time, the staff member asked which lenses I’d tried and what had bothered me. I described the dryness and how uncomfortable my eyes felt by the afternoon. They explained that material and comfort were things to consider alongside the prescription.

They suggested Dailies Total1 and described it as a lens designed to retain moisture. The product name meant little to me at first. What helped was hearing why they thought it might suit the situation I’d described.

A box of 30 cost around ₩40,000 at the time, or roughly ₩44,000 for the astigmatism version. I’d expected to pay more. I didn’t feel pushed toward a higher price.

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What They Felt Like on the Day

The first thing I noticed was how little I could feel the lens. I had to check whether I’d really put it in. With earlier lenses I was always aware there was something on my eye.

After a while my eyes still didn’t feel dry. Blinking felt normal and I could see clearly. Out on the street I kept catching myself wondering whether I really had contacts in.

I could look around more freely without the edge of my glasses in view. On earlier attempts I’d wanted to take the lenses out after a few hours. That day I got home without much discomfort.

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What I Remember About the Conversation

The time spent talking mattered more to me than the price. I came away with an option that accounted for what I’d found uncomfortable before. The staff explained use and care and told me I could come back if the lenses bothered me.

They took seriously the fact that I was out of practice and wanted to be careful. The guidance sounded as though it had been given with a day of actual use in mind. I felt I could go back and ask another question.

There are plenty of shops in Sinchon, and many are easy to forget once the errand is done. This is one I’d feel comfortable returning to.

Changing lenses is a small thing with a noticeable effect on the rest of a day. After years of putting the decision off, this visit gave me a comfortable way to try again.