El Graduat. An English speaking optician (and optometrist) in Barcelona
Barcelona is unique. It offers an engaging mix of a relaxed lifestyle and an innovative business environment, making it one of the most attractive destinations in Europe for those looking to live and or work abroad. The city boasts a great cultural heritage and an active social scene that highlights sports, beaches and excellent food. Adding the high-quality health services and amazing travel connections on top, it’s no wonder that Barcelona is a top choice for expats, digital nomads, and all around travelers from everywhere.
Yet the transition to living in Barcelona can be complex: finding housing, understanding the healthcare system or, what we are going to adress in this post, the acces to eye care. Generally speaking, the optician and optometrist services in Barcelona and Catalonia must by law be held toguether in the same place (the òpticas). Every optic shop must have an optometrist present, registered by the catalan college of optometrists. That’s why in Barcelona most of the optometrist perform also the functions of the optician (fixing frames, adapting lenses, and helping client choose the best glasses) due to being required by law to be working in the òptica for as long as it is open.
Free eye tests
Generaly most optometry services exist outside the spanish public healthcare system. Only eye deseases, that would fall under the oftalmology domain, are treated by the public healthcare. This means that you may be required to pay for optician care, depending on the service. The costs of buying new prescription glasses (ulleres graduades) and ordering new contact lenses (lentilles) don’t differ too much from the prices in the EU and the UK.
The ocular exams (eye tests) are free in the case of El Graduat òptica. We opened El Graduat with a firm commitment: to offer free eyesight checks to anyone who needs them. We offer our experience to figure out the state of your visual health is and we will advise you, without any commitment, with various proposals to solve your eye problems,. Always taking into account your needs.
Expat-friendly optometrist
For those new to Spain, or just unfamiliar with the eye care system, it can be difficult to know how to select a good optician who is also expat-friendly. You’ll want to make sure that both you and your optometrist clearly understand your eye health concerns, as well as making sure nothing is lost in translation. Althought eye tests are similar are very similar everywhere, ensuring that you’re able to understand and communicate effectively is important when determining your prescription. For those who are not yet fluent in Spanish, it’s best to find an optometrist who speaks English to start with. That’s how El Graduat came in contact with the expats in the first place.
In El Graduat òptica we have stablished strong ties with the expat community since we opened just before the Covid pandemic. It all started by chance, mainly because El Graduat is located in the heart of Gràcia, a neightborhood with an intense cosmopolitan life and dozens of coworking asociations full of expats and digital nomads. We are fluent in english wich help at first, then we quickly learnt to adapt to the agendas (full with travels, and meetings abroad) of our international neighbours. We managed to rush orders to fit their needs, and deliver in particular strict deadlines.
Some years have passed and we have developed a strong relation with our international clientelle, the word of mouth has worked wonders. Nevertheless, we wanted to offer our services to the expats in need of an eyecheck in Barcelona, given our unexpected liason with th international community in Gracia. You can find us in Plaça de la Llibertat 9, Barcelona, 20 metres from the Gràcia station (ferrocarrils catalans), or Fontana station (green metro). El graduat òptica is expecting your visit.
Cheers!
