In Cienfuegos you can only find material of dubious quality or at impossible prices in the private shops
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 7 November 2024 — In Cienfuegos, optometrists are as scarce as the eyeglasses themselves. Plastic frames of poor quality from a dollar store in Miami is the most that those who are condemned to solve their vision problems within the Island can aspire to. For those who have relatives abroad, the answer is easier. A doctor is found to test the eyes, and the prescription travels to the United States or Europe, where relatives will assume the payment.
The shortage of specialists is not the only thing that affects ophthalmology in Cuba. It is a challenge to find eye drops for vision tests, and the measuring devices often don’t work. Therefore, it is not uncommon that in the Pediatric Hospital of the city, where the equipment is more or less better preserved than in other centers and some supplies still arrive, there are several adults waiting to be treated – alleging friendship or offering “gifts” – by an optometrist.
Maritza is one of them. She managed, through the friend of a friend, to have the doctor see her after months of suffering from headaches because her glasses no longer worked for her. With prescription in hand, the Cienfueguera prepared to go to the optician, but on the rickety shelves there was not a single frame that she could wear.
It is not uncommon that in the Pediatric Hospital, where the equipment is more or less better preserved, there are several adults waiting to be treated
“The first thing that surprised me was to see that the optical shop itself has rented a space to private cell phone repairers. I immediately knew that the other people and I were not there for the same thing,” the woman tells 14ymedio. Maritza approached the counter and handed the prescription to the clerk. “The lady, almost of retirement age, said that they only had small graduations available, and that I should return in a week to see if there was anything new.”
According to Maritza, for years she has seen that the shelves of the optical shop, located on the boulevard, are practically empty, with a few dull frames that don’t please the tastes of the needy. But she always thought that at least there would be some options, even if they weren’t better quality or in good taste.
On other occasions, Maritza also found it difficult to get glasses, but now she has no choice but to go to the informal market. “It’s a lot of work because I have different prescriptions for each eye. Sometimes it has taken more than six months for the manufacturing. For me it’s a very big economic sacrifice to pay for the service, but I have no choice but to do it,” she laments.
The premises of Ópticas Miramar is located two blocks from the store. Except that the payment must be made in hard currency, the attention to the public and the offers do not differ that much from the establishments that sell frames in pesos. “Supposedly the work will be finished in one or two days, but, in practice, it takes weeks to be able to pick up the glasses. Nor is there a variety of frames to choose from, so not even by paying dearly can you buy what you want,” says Idalmis, a retiree who left the shop disappointed.
The client hoped to order some progressive lenses, but Ópticas Miramar has not been manufacturing them for months. “Street vendors often go around offering all kinds of stuff, but since I don’t know where they come from, I prefer to go to places where I can have a minimum of guarantees. In addition, they are usually poor quality and break easily, and the lenses look like plastic,” she says.
Finally, Idalmis found the glasses she was looking for in the home of some private sellers who are dedicated exclusively to eye products. “The glasses cost me 6 MLC [freely convertible currency] and can cost up to 20, depending on the type. It’s not that I have plenty of money, but since this is a necessity for me, I try to find something of quality because, undoubtedly, cheap becomes expensive,” she explains.
Some private businesses have also emerged in the city that manufacture graduated prescription glasses. “I went to a private optician in front of the Provincial Hospital. If I bring the frames, it costs me 5,000 pesos, and if I buy them there, it costs twice as much. With those prices it’s better to continue with my old frames, which are now missing an arm,” complains Tomás, who, for more irony, worked years ago in an optics store in Cienfuegos.
When I worked there, most of the frames and lenses didn’t reach the people”
“When I worked there, most of the frames and lenses didn’t reach the people, because the technicians kept the raw materials themselves for their private jobs,” confesses Tomás.
In the small stalls and houses that serve as improvised stores, graduated lenses cost between 800 and 1,200 pesos. Those specialized for serious vision problems, different measurements in each eye or other particularities cannot even be found or are extremely expensive. “If I calculate based on my salary, my wife and I would have to devote three entire monthly salaries to buying the glasses we need,” Tomás reflects. “Seeing or eating? That is the question.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
