There’s only one professional Optician in town, namely a Welshman named Richard. He offers a highly professional service and is also involved in some charity projects helping children and the elderly with their glasses and eye tests.

There are a number of Mongolian opticians, many of which just set up shop and sell glasses.  There’s also a laser treatment centre, which over corrected at least a dozen of it’s first victims as they failed to calibrate the machine when it first arrived. Basically they plugged it in and away they went.  I’d avoid this if you’d like to continue to see!  If you’re planning on staying for a while make sure toy bring a spare pair of glasses and/ or contact lenses with you and your original prescription if you need replacement making for you. Equally there a few foreign dentists who’ve set up shop in UB and a few good Mongolian dentists as well. The treatment is the same as you’d find in the west so don’t worry too much, obviously be careful of any back street jobs, just as you would if you were at home.

The State Dental Centre which is situated behind the Flower Centre isn’t too bad, although as far as I’m aware there is no English speaking staff. If you have no choice then use this place but the resident foreign dentists are highly recommended if you have any serious problems. Dental Hygiene is growing in popularity in Mongolia, partly due to the advent of the summer model and the fact that many Mongolian women look like supermodels too … but I’m not judging! You don’t want to get a nasty infection in your jaw in this country! Make sure you have a check up at your dentist before leaving your country of origin.