I found something cheaper in Ireland!!!!!

As part of my saga to get licensed, I had to have an eye exam.  So today, I attempted to get an appointment with an eye doctor to perform the exam near my office.  They said they could get me in sometime in late October.  Not really ideal.  So I asked if she had some recommendations and she suggested the local SpecSavers (read:  Irish Lenscrafters).  I called for an appointment and they got me in this afternoon.  I was told it would be EUR 15, which is about what it costs to buy 3 normal items at the local store, so I was immediately suspicious of what I was getting.  "This will get me a completed D.502 for my drivers licence?"  "Yes".  "OK".

So I get to the store and am immediately taken to the big machine that takes digital images of your eyes so they can look at your blood vessels on a big screen.  This option in the US is one insurance often doesn't cover fully and costs about $100.  I said, "Hold on, I'm just getting the exam for my license test."  "This is part of that test, sir."  "And this is included in the cost?"  "Yes."  "OK".  Then I was taken in by the "almost" Dr. (student doing his practicals).  He proceeded to take me through all the tests I would normally get at my ophthalmologist except the eye drops for dilation, which I didn't need because I got the optional digital images.  The appointment took longer and was more thorough than what I normally get and I walked out with an updated prescription, my needed forms for my license, and only EUR 15 lighter.  I need to find places with food that deliver the same results...