How to Get Glasses in Mainland China: A Practical Guide
Getting glasses in mainland China is a two-step process: first get an accurate refraction (验光) and a written prescription, then buy your frames and lenses. Hospital eye departments offer the most thorough exams, while optical shops are faster and cheaper but vary in quality. This guide covers both routes, plus contact lenses, online orders, what insurance covers, and why a spare pair is worth having.
Step 1: Get your prescription — hospital vs. optical shop
Every pair of glasses starts with 验光 (refraction): measuring your eyes to produce a written prescription (验光单) with sphere (球镜, SPH), cylinder (柱镜, CYL), axis (轴位), and pupillary distance (瞳距, PD) — two main options.
Hospital eye departments and optometry clinics (医院眼科/视光门诊) — the medical route. Hospitals can perform 散瞳验光 (cycloplegic refraction), drops that temporarily relax the ciliary muscle for a truer reading — generally more accurate for children's first fittings and fast-progressing myopia. A full medical refraction (医学验光) also checks intraocular pressure (眼压), the fundus (眼底), and binocular vision (双眼视功能), which shop refractions don't cover. The tradeoff: book an outpatient appointment (挂号), wait, and allow more time.
Optical shops (眼镜店) — quick and cheap (often free with a purchase), fine for simple adult prescriptions. But quality varies by equipment and staff, and shop refractions tend to come out slightly stronger, which can feel "clearer" in-store but cause eye strain later.
Get the prescription on paper and keep it — it lets you buy glasses anywhere, even in another city or online, without being refracted again.
Step 2: Frame glasses — lenses, materials, brands
Lens types. Single-vision (单光) suits most nearsightedness or farsightedness. Progressive multifocal (渐进多焦) blends distance, intermediate, and near zones for presbyopia (老花); precise fitting measurements are needed, so get a first pair of progressives in person. Blue-light filtering (防蓝光) lenses block some high-energy blue light — possibly more comfortable for heavy screen users, but the marketing claims are widely overstated: optional comfort, not a medical necessity. Photochromic (变色片) lenses darken in sunlight and clear indoors.
High myopia. In China, prescriptions are quoted in 度; above 600 度 (about −6.00 diopters) is high myopia (高度近视). The common choice: 1.74 high-index lenses plus small frames, which keep edges thin — large frames make high-minus lenses noticeably thicker and heavier.
Brands. The international names most shops carry are Zeiss (蔡司) and Essilor (依视路); domestic Mingyue (明月) and Wanxin (万新) are widely regarded as good value. Ask for the original lens packaging (原包装) and keep it — it confirms you got what you paid for.
Frame materials. Pure titanium (纯钛): light, strong, hypoallergenic, pricier. TR90: flexible, lightweight plastic for sporty or casual frames. Acetate (板材): rich colors, classic look, heavier. Fit at the nose bridge and temples matters more than the logo on the arm — try frames on your face.
Where to buy. Chains like JINS, OWNDAYS, Mu90 (木九十), Boshi Glasses (博士眼镜), and Baodao (宝岛) are in most big-city malls. Independent shops can be cheaper, but get the lens brand, index, and coatings quoted in writing — the same "1.67 lens" label can mean very different products.
Contact lenses: dailies, monthlies, toric
Contact lenses (隐形眼镜) come by replacement schedule: dailies (日抛) are worn once and discarded; monthlies (月抛) are replaced monthly with proper cleaning. Half-yearly and yearly lenses (半年抛/年抛) are not recommended — deposits build up over long wear cycles, raising infection risk. For astigmatism (散光), ask about toric (散光片) lenses, which stay oriented on the eye; regular spherical lenses don't correct astigmatism.
Common brands in China include Acuvue (强生安视优, Johnson & Johnson), Bausch + Lomb (博士伦), and CooperVision (库博). Reputable sellers ask for a prescription — a good sign, not an obstacle. Colored contacts (彩瞳/美瞳) are regulated as medical devices too: look for a 医疗器械注册证编号 (medical device registration number) on the packaging and buy from licensed channels. Never share lenses, and never sleep in lenses not approved for overnight wear.
Ordering online: JD and Tmall, done right
Official flagship stores on JD (京东) and Tmall (天猫) sell frames and lenses at transparent prices. Get your prescription first (step 1), then provide your pupillary distance (瞳距, PD) in millimeters. Mirror-and-ruler self-measurement guides are widely shared, though a shop measurement is more reliable. Ask for the original lens packaging and authenticity card when the glasses arrive. Progressive lenses need fitting heights and frame angles that are hard to get right remotely — get a first pair of progressives in person.
Small anti-slip accessories
Glasses that slide down are usually a fit problem — adjust the nose pads or temples first. For specific cases: silicone anti-slip nose pads (防滑鼻托), glasses chains (眼镜链), sport straps (运动眼镜带) for running or cycling, and anti-fog cloths (防雾布) for mask wearers in winter — all sold on major e-commerce platforms and cheap enough to try first.
Health insurance: what it does and doesn't cover
China's basic medical insurance (基本医保) does not reimburse corrective eyewear — glasses, contact lenses, and fittings are classified as 矫正用具 (corrective appliances), paid out of pocket. Exception: a hospital eye department's outpatient registration fee can usually be reimbursed under normal outpatient rules, though details vary by city. Keep your hospital receipt if you plan to claim it.
Why you need a spare pair
Glasses break, get lost, or need repair at the worst moment — and replacements take days. A spare pair means you are never stuck squinting through a work week. The budget approach: buy the second pair during a major sale, or choose a basic frame with standard lenses as backup. Lens coatings also age: most guidance suggests replacing lenses every 2–3 years as coatings degrade, even if the prescription is unchanged. When you replace lenses, the old pair becomes the new spare.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hospital eye exam more accurate than an optical shop's?
For complex cases, yes. Hospitals can do cycloplegic refraction and check eye pressure, the retina, and binocular vision — things shops don't offer. For a stable adult prescription, a careful shop refraction is usually fine; for children, first-time wearers, or rapidly changing myopia, the hospital route is the safer default.
Are blue-light-blocking lenses a scam (智商税)?
Not exactly a scam, but overhyped. They do filter some blue light, and some heavy screen users find them more comfortable — but the dramatic health claims in ads go beyond the evidence. A reasonable comfort option if the price difference is small, not a medical necessity.
For high myopia, how do I choose between 1.67 and 1.74 lenses?
Above 600 度, 1.74 lenses are visibly thinner and lighter than 1.67 at the same prescription, but cost more. Pair high-index lenses with smaller frames — with large frames, even 1.74 lenses get thick at the edges.
Does basic medical insurance cover glasses?
No — corrective eyewear is paid out of pocket. Only the hospital's refraction consultation fee may be reimbursed as an outpatient visit, depending on your city's rules.
Do I need a prescription to buy contact lenses?
Legitimate sellers ask for one, and you should have a current fitting anyway — contact lens prescriptions differ from glasses prescriptions. Colored contacts should carry a medical device registration number (医疗器械注册证编号) on the packaging.
Sources
- National Healthcare Security Administration (国家医疗保障局): https://www.nhsa.gov.cn
- ZEISS: https://www.zeiss.com
- Essilor: https://www.essilor.com
- JINS: https://www.jins.com
- OWNDAYS: https://www.owndays.com