Contacts

In the United States, or at least in California, contact lenses are treated like prescription drugs. You have to have a doctor's note to get them, and the doctor's note has an expiration date a year after it is written. When I want contacts, I go to the optometrist, get a prescription, and then I call 1-800-Contacts and they send me a year supply. Since I do not wear contacts every day, this year supply usually lasts me two years, if not more. (I alternate with my glasses, switching back and forth).

Well, about two months ago, I realized I was reaching the end of my supply of contacts, purchased several years ago, actually. And I was wondering what to do about this. Squeeze in a visit to my optometrist in California, during my few precious days there, and then hope the shipment of contacts arrives before I have to leave? Time consuming and expensive option, I was not keen on it.

So yesterday, I was at the Apotek here in Iceland, and my eyes happened upon two shelves full of CONTACT LENSES! Every strength, from .5 up to 5! Wow! Disposable one day contacts! I looked around, hoping to be able to express to someone my utter amazement at this sight.

You see, in the United States, the assumption is that we will not take care of our eyes unless we are forced to do so. Thus if you want contacts, you have to go see your optometrist first. This shelf of disposable contacts seemed to me like a sign that the government of Iceland thinks it is up to me what I want to do with my eyes, and that they think I know what I am doing in terms of what strength to buy and everything. Now, surely I am overstating things, but I really thought it was nice, to be entrusted with that.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dett í, ofan á, úr, út

I´m not sure if someone had dett í (gotten drunk), or if það bara dett ofan á (it just sort of happened), or if some dett úr (forgot), but at any rate, my household goods dett út (have disappeared). Let's review the chronology here. Early August packers from the shipping company arrive at the apartment in Moraga. They load my 4 large plastic containers and 8 cardboard boxes, plus one baby crib, into their truck. I watch my things depart. In September, I ask the friendly girl (Magie is her name) if she happens to know when I might expect my stuff. Late September she tells me. I am most impressed. Extremely so. Mid October rolls around, and I have not gotten a call. And it occurs to me that I am going to be traveling through November. Hmm. So I call again. Well, yes, she tells me, looks like your shipment should arrive on the 31st of October. Now here I admit that maybe I was a little lacks. I had a lot to do before my trip, and so when they did not call me, I did not follow ...
Read more

Cultural tourism in Iceland

I just finished writing a chapter of my dissertation, which resulted in a much larger discussion of cultural tourism in Iceland than I had intended. But the fact is, this is an issue I have been extremely interested and concerned about for at least 15 years, if not 20. I have never, ever liked the way Iceland is marketed to tourists in the U.S. Everything from the unspoiled nature to the crazy city life in Reykavik. It has always left the part of Iceland I loved--the simple joy of being in a relaxing and lovely place with my family--completely out of the picture. In 2001, I went to Hvollsvöllur to examine the Saga Centre as part of a study commissioned by the National Park's service to look into cultural landscapes as heritage tourism. I thought that endeavor might represent a change in how Iceland was presented to tourists. But in the last 10 years, and especially while working at Vikingaheimar, and at meetings with the Saga Trails Association, I came to see just how completel...
Read more

On Icelandic doctors

My friends and family here in Iceland were very enthusiastic about me going to the krabbameinsfélag for an exam. I was really impressed how easy it was to get an appointment--booked online even! And when I got there this afternoon, the efficiency continued: they have a well oiled operation in place there, all very organized with computers asking questions and keyed lockers to keep one's personal belongings in. Then when it came time to see the doctor, well, that lasted all of 2 minutes. And I paid 3420 kroner. So I was overall a little disappointed. When I mentioned to the front desk clerks that I was wondering if it was possible to actually get an appointment where I could speak to a doctor, I was given a variety of phone numbers. None of the ones I called had appointments within the next 6 weeks. In the United States, when I want a doctor's appointment, I can usually get it within a week of calling, though sometimes I have had to wait 10 days or so. The highest co-pay I hav...
Read more