Glasses and contact lenses: what health insurance pays
For ordinary short- or long-sightedness, basic insurance pays adults nothing. Children get a fixed yearly amount, and some eye conditions change the picture entirely.
Quick overview
What matters before you compare
For ordinary short- or long-sightedness, basic insurance pays adults nothing towards glasses or contact lenses. Children and adolescents up to 18 receive CHF 180 per year. With certain eye conditions and after eye surgery, basic insurance pays adults too.
- Adults without an eye condition: no benefit from basic insurance.
- Children and adolescents up to 18: CHF 180 per year, medical prescription required.
- Conditions such as keratoconus, or the period after eye surgery, do create an entitlement for adults.
- Supplementary policies typically reimburse CHF 100 to 300 per year, or every two to three years.
What basic insurance covers
In Switzerland, vision aids are largely a private matter. Mandatory basic insurance pays adults nothing towards ordinary glasses or contact lenses, no matter how strong the correction. Short- and long-sightedness are not treated as an illness but as a normal variation.
Children and adolescents are the exception. Up to their 18th birthday, basic insurance covers CHF 180 per calendar year towards lenses or contact lenses. A medical prescription is required - a measurement at the optician is not enough on its own. The amount applies to the lenses, not the frame.
Like every other benefit, this amount runs through deductible and co-payment. If the annual deductible has not been used up yet, you may not see any of the CHF 180 in practice.
When basic insurance pays adults too
The line is not between glasses and no glasses, but between a normal variation and an illness. Where an eye condition exists, the vision aid becomes medical treatment - and then basic insurance pays adults as well.
This covers keratoconus, pronounced corneal changes, the period after a corneal transplant, certain forms of strabismus and double vision, and the time after eye surgery such as cataract treatment. A significant change in vision caused by an illness or a therapy can also create an entitlement.
All of these require an ophthalmologist's prescription stating the diagnosis. Laser surgery to correct ordinary refractive error is not covered - it counts as a comfort benefit, even where it would be cheaper than glasses over time.
What supplementary insurance adds
Vision aids are a standard component of outpatient supplementary insurance. The detail varies a great deal, and marketing usually quotes only the upper figure. Three variables decide the real value:
The amount: CHF 100 to 300 is typical. Higher amounts exist, usually bundled into a more expensive policy.
The interval: What matters is whether the amount is available every year or only every two to three years. A policy offering CHF 300 every three years delivers less than one offering CHF 150 per year.
The shared budget: Vision aids often share a single annual pot with other outpatient benefits such as gym membership or complementary medicine. If the pot is already spent, nothing is left for glasses.
Outpatient supplementary insurance falls under private insurance law. The insurer may decline your application after health screening or attach exclusions - unlike basic insurance, where every insurer must accept every applicant.
Is supplementary cover worth it for glasses?
For glasses alone, rarely. Outpatient supplementary insurance costs roughly CHF 15 to 60 per month depending on age and scope, so CHF 180 to 720 per year. Receiving a CHF 150 eyewear contribution in return is a net loss.
The calculation changes when the same policy covers other benefits you actually use: complementary medicine, a gym contribution, treatment abroad, transport and rescue costs. Then the vision benefit is a bonus rather than the reason to buy.
A practical test: add up what you have actually spent on outpatient benefits outside basic insurance over the past three years. If the annual average sits well below the premium, paying out of pocket is cheaper. If it sits above - or you expect higher costs soon - comparing individual policies is worth the time.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does basic insurance pay for my glasses?
Not for adults with ordinary refractive error. Children and adolescents up to 18 receive CHF 180 per year for lenses or contact lenses with a medical prescription. Certain eye conditions create an entitlement for adults too.
Does the children's amount include the frame?
No. The CHF 180 applies to lenses or contact lenses. The frame is not part of the benefit.
Is laser eye surgery covered?
Not for correcting ordinary short- or long-sightedness; basic insurance treats it as a comfort benefit. Some supplementary policies contribute a fixed amount, usually after a waiting period.
Can I still take out supplementary cover with poor eyesight?
That is the insurer's decision after health screening. Existing refractive error rarely leads to rejection, but it can lead to an exclusion on vision aids - meaning the policy pays for everything except that benefit.
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How this page is maintained
- Written by
- Nexin Editorial
- Reviewed by
- Thomas SchallertInsurance intermediary, VBV-certified
- Published
- Last reviewed
- Deadlines, amounts and legal references checked against the Health Insurance Act and its ordinances. Content unchanged; the page moved from the blog into the knowledge section and received a permanent address.
- Next scheduled review
Sources
- Health Care Benefits Ordinance (SR 832.112.31)Fedlex, Federal Chancellery · retrieved 6 August 2026
- FOPH: Health insurance – benefits and tariffsFederal Office of Public Health · retrieved 6 August 2026
Changes
- Expanded from a marketing page with two bullet points into a full benefit page.