Children’s glasses and health insurance: what’s covered?
Children sometimes need new glasses every year – and that can be expensive. However, health insurance will contribute to children’s glasses and contact lenses.
23.04.2025
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1. Are children’s glasses covered by health insurance?
Basic insurance covers the cost of corrective eyewear for children. The insurer pays 180 francs per calendar year until the child’s 18th birthday.
For the health insurer to cover the costs, the child needs a prescription from the ophthalmologist once per year. An optician can make adjustments during the year.
Good to know: parents should closely monitor any possible vision problems in their children. Many vision problems should be treated in childhood. This way, a deterioration in vision can be avoided.
Is the child’s short-sightedness worsening significantly? Basic insurance may pay up to 850 francs per year towards corrective eyewear. The following applies in such cases:
The child’s vision needs to deteriorate by at least 0.5 dioptres per year.
The child already has short-sightedness of at least –5.0 dioptres or this is expected in adulthood. The corrective eyewear must reduce the deterioration.
If you’d like higher coverage, you’ll need supplemental insurance.
Good to know: in the case of severe vision problems or illnesses, basic insurance sometimes pays other contributions. The same conditions apply to adults and children alike.
2. Are children’s glasses covered by supplemental health insurance?
Corrective glasses and contact lenses cost more than 180 francs per year in some instances. Supplemental health insurance often covers the additional costs of glasses – but usually only up to a maximum annual amount.
Good to know: the benefits provided by supplemental insurance vary depending on the insurer and the policy chosen. It’s therefore a good idea to compare a range of deals. How to find the right supplemental insurance for you.
3. Does disability insurance pay towards children’s glasses?
Disability insurance (also known as invalidity insurance) pays for glasses that are necessary due to a birth defect. But this only applies until the age of 20. It also pays for glasses that are required after an eye operation with a disability insurance entitlement.
4. Health insurance and children’s glasses: do I have to pay a deductible and coinsurance?
The benefits available for visual aids are subject to out-of-pocket expenses. This means that you pay all bills up to the selected deductible yourself. After that, you pay the coinsurance – 10% of all bills, up to a maximum of 350 francs.
Good to know: do you have three or more children? Then you pay a maximum annual coinsurance of 1,000 francs for all children together.
This article was first published on 08.12.2021
