Namdaemun optical shop: 30-min blue-light frames, Angyeonggwa Saradeul

Namdaemun Market has been buzzing lately thanks to sauna items and stuff like that. Seriously crowded, wow. But Namdaemun has always traditionally been famous for things like tableware, glasses, and cameras — here's a review after getting glasses made near Namdaemun.

Where is Angyeonggwa Saradeul? A short walk from Myeongdong or Hoehyeon Station

Angyeonggwa Saradeul (안경과사람들) is an eyewear shop at 61 Namdaemunsijang-gil, 101-ho, Jung-gu, Seoul, right on the main road of Namdaemun Market. You can get off at Myeongdong or at Hoehyeon Station, either works.

I'd known Namdaemun was famous for glasses for a while, thanks to a YouTuber I watch, haha, so I went to visit Angyeonggwa Saradeul.

I had a meal in Myeongdong, walked to the Shinsegae main store, and just a short way down the street next to it is Angyeonggwa Saradeul, right on the Namdaemun main road. The location is so good there's no need to wander around lost.

With Chuseok coming up, there was also a banner for an autumn 50% off all items sale, haha. Frames matter with glasses, but the lenses matter too, so I got a proper eye exam, picked a frame that suited me, and put in the right lenses, hahahaha.

Inside Angyeonggwa Saradeul, a Namdaemun optical shop with many older regulars

Angyeonggwa Saradeul has an enormous variety of glasses. Since it's in Namdaemun, a lot of older customers come in too, and there are plenty of frames worn by well-known middle-aged actors, so it looks like a good place for moms and grandmas to pick something out. And since a lot of older visitors might get low on sugar or want something to snack on, there are snacks and candy set out too, hahahaha. A warm, welcoming Angyeonggwa Saradeul.

Inside the display cases are the relatively pricier glasses, but there are also plenty on sale. A good Namdaemun eyewear shop for picking out glasses. I feel like a lot of my classmates back in school wore glasses like these, haha. I don't wear glasses often, but sometimes I do, and I got a pair made for driving or using the computer when my eyes get tired. Good for blocking blue light too, or whatever it's called, hahahaha.

How the eye exam works, from the machine test to the red-green test

At Angyeonggwa Saradeul, they start with an eye exam. Some kind of super high-tech, Armstrong-moon-landing-level machine tests your vision the moment you sit down. Back in the day it was like those old commercials — shouting out numbers on a circle — but these days you can get a pretty dignified eye exam, hahahahaha.

This high-tech machine tells you the state of your eyes bit by bit (I never really knew whether I had uneven eyes or whatever, just lived my life, but it turns out the balance between my two eyes is slightly off, which can cause discomfort — they explained well what kind of glasses and lenses suit that and why). It was pretty amazing that my vision got measured without me really doing anything.

Right at the very end, there's the classic reading-tiny-numbers test, the one that's oddly fun to do.

After that, the machine comes back down to eye level again, and you put on something like glasses to check the left-right balance, whether there's astigmatism, and so on, with a test that shows red and green.

Here it is. It kind of feels like the left is sharper, then the right is sharper, hahahahaha. Anyway, you just say what you actually see.

Choosing a frame: a tortoiseshell pick after advice from the owner

Then comes the frame-picking hell at Angyeonggwa Saradeul. There are so many styles, and they all differ in top-bottom width, side-to-side width, size, nose pad, weight, materials, shape, color, weight — the differences are so many that I ended up trying on a ton of them just to get a real feel for it, and it was a whole process.

But the owner, a total pro, gave gentle advice like a consultation — this one's good too, that one's popular these days — so, trying on this and that, I picked one tortoiseshell frame.

Lens choice: compressed, non-refractive and blue-light blocking

Next up: blue light, compression, refractive, non-refractive — a lot of terms that us regular people don't really know, but they explained it well by showing samples one by one so I could understand. I decided on moderate compression, non-refractive, plus blue-light blocking. Prices fluctuate a lot these days, so calling the shop directly is probably the most accurate way to check. Anyway, they gave me a nice discount, which was great, hahahahaha.

Ready in 30 minutes: how long glasses take at Angyeonggwa Saradeul

At Angyeonggwa Saradeul, once you've finished the eye exam and tried on and chosen your desired frame, it takes about thirty minutes. When you go to pick it up, they fit it beautifully, hahahahaha. There's even a microscope — a seriously no-joke eyewear shop, whoa.

Apparently my eyes aren't in great shape — I don't really know myself, but that's what they said, hahahahaha. Guess I need to take better care of them.

The frame I chose: tortoiseshell look with silicone nose pads

Went with this frame. It has a classic tortoiseshell feel but is super lightweight, and the nose pads are silicone, so soft yet very light and stretchy, meaning I won't have to worry about crushing them while sleeping or tossing them somewhere, hahahahaha.

Models like Ashcroft or Lash Clift weren't in stock unfortunately, but if you bring in whatever frame you want — like Zenmon or others — they'll fit lenses to it, so it's worth bringing your own frame if you already have one at home.

Thirty minutes later... I went back and they had it beautifully done. A very friendly eyewear shop where fitting goes smoothly, Angyeonggwa Saradeul, a Namdaemun eyewear shop. Thanks for the friendly, fast, and accurate glasses fitting.