Before you buy cheap glasses in China, you need an accurate, current prescription — and China makes getting an eye test easy and inexpensive. The short version: for glasses, a quick refraction at an optical shop is fast and often free; for anything to do with eye health, go to a hospital ophthalmology department. Here’s how it works and how to get the numbers you need.

This is general information, not medical advice — an eye examination and prescription should come from a qualified optometrist or ophthalmologist, and any eye-health concern should be seen by a doctor.

Two kinds of eye test

They are not the same thing, and choosing the right one matters:

  • Optical-shop refraction. A quick measurement of your prescription to sell you glasses — done at optical shops, market opticians and chains. Fast, often free or a few dollars, and fine if your eyes are healthy and you just need updated lenses.
  • Hospital ophthalmology (眼科) exam. A proper eye-health examination plus refraction at a hospital eye department or a specialist eye hospital. This is the right choice if your vision has changed noticeably, you have any eye-health concern, you’re diabetic, or you have a complex prescription. Big cities have dedicated eye hospitals with strong reputations.

If in doubt, get the hospital exam. A refraction tells you what lenses you need; only an eye-health exam can catch what glasses can’t fix.

What it costs

A basic refraction at an optical shop is often free or nominal when you buy glasses. A proper hospital ophthalmology exam is still inexpensive by Western standards — a low registration and exam fee, with any extra tests (eye-pressure checks, imaging) quoted separately. Costs vary by city and hospital tier.

Get the prescription and PD in writing

Whatever route you take, ask for a written prescription and your pupillary distance (PD):

  • The prescription (sphere, cylinder, axis, and an add for reading glasses) lets you buy glasses at any shop and take the numbers home.
  • Your PD is needed to centre the lenses correctly. Optical shops don’t always give it out by default — request it.
  • Bring your old glasses; they help the optician match or improve what you already wear.

With those in hand, buying is easy — see our guides to prescription glasses in China and the Shenzhen optical markets.

The language gap around the results

The refraction itself is quick and visual. What’s harder across a language barrier is the results conversation — especially at a hospital eye exam, where a finding about your eye health needs to be understood clearly, not guessed at. At international clinics and hospital international/VIP departments you’ll get English; at a local shop or standard department, plan for how you’ll understand the results.

That’s the same gap we close for dental and medical visits — booking the right department, translating the results, and making sure nothing important reaches you only in Chinese. We’re a medical concierge for foreigners in China; if you’d like an eye exam and glasses arranged in English, message us. New to Chinese hospitals? Our guide on how to see a doctor in China helps.

General information only. Get your eye examination and prescription from a qualified optometrist or ophthalmologist; see a doctor promptly for any change in vision or eye-health concern.