What happens when you have a medical emergency abroad!?

This article covers my emergency here in Da Nang, Vietnam, and how much it cost me.

Having an emergency abroad can be a very scary experience.

Will the doctors speak English?

How much will I have to pay for this? I

s the hospital clean?

One morning I woke up to intense pain in my left eye. My vision was blurred, I could barely open my eye, it was full of mucus and extremely sensitive to light. Now granted, I wear contact lens and sometimes I’m trifling and I sleep in them but I’ve never experienced pain like this before. I tried to sleep it off but the pain was sharp and I was very concerned about losing my eyesight. I went to Da Nang Eye Hospital and was seen by the eye doctor shortly after. I told them I did not speak Vietnamese and was escorted to the English speaking nurses and doctors. Turns out I had keratitis and was given eye drops and ointment.

How did you get keratitis?

Keratitis is an inflammatory condition that affects the cornea of your eye. The cornea is the clear part that covers both the iris and the pupil. Keratitis can be caused by an infection or injury to the eye. If left untreated it can lead to permanent vision loss. The weekend prior to the infection I got in the pool but did not swim. I am guessing a little water splashed in my eye, I then slept in them with my trifling ass and turned my whole world upside down.

I paid out of pocket since it was so cheap but I do use Safety Wing International Comprehensive Health Insurance.

Now you know this would be MUCH pricer in the States. A trip to the ER is usually about $500 and a trip to the urgent care is $155.00 not including medication.