Contribution towards glasses

What is the contribution towards glasses?

The contribution towards glasses (Brillenbeitrag in German) is the amount a health insurer pays towards spectacle lenses, frames or contact lenses. In Switzerland there are two completely separate pots for this: compulsory basic health insurance under the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) and voluntary supplementary insurance under the Insurance Contract Act (ICA). When people talk about a “contribution towards glasses”, they often mean the second pot, even though basic health insurance also pays in clearly limited cases.

In basic health insurance, glasses and contact lenses are classed as aids and appliances. Which aids and appliances the insurer reimburses, and up to what amount, is set out in the Aids and Appliances List, MiGeL for short. It forms Annex 2 to the Health Care Benefits Ordinance (KLV) and is published by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Chapter 25 of the MiGeL is called “Visual aids” and defines them as optical devices that correct refractive errors or compensate for, improve or treat another disease of the eye.

For visual aids, the MiGeL has one basic case and several special cases:

• Basic case, children and adolescents: glasses or contact lenses up to the 18th birthday, maximum reimbursement amount CHF 180.67 per year.
• Special case, change in eyesight: for all age groups, if the refraction changes because of an illness, a medicine or an operation, also no more than CHF 180.67 per year.
• Special cases with high values: contact lenses for very severe short-sightedness or long-sightedness (CHF 271.00 every two years) and contact lenses or glasses for corneal diseases, iris defects or after corneal surgery (CHF 632.34 per eye or per pair of glasses).
• Myopia control: special lenses intended to slow the progression of severe short-sightedness, up to the 21st birthday, no more than CHF 850.00 per year.

For healthy adults with an ordinary refractive error, on the other hand, basic health insurance pays nothing towards glasses or contact lenses. This is where supplementary insurance comes in. Many insurers offer a contribution towards visual aids in their supplementary outpatient products. Each insurer sets the amount, the interval and the conditions itself in its general terms and conditions (GTC); the law lays down nothing here.

How it works

In basic health insurance, the contribution towards glasses depends on a medical prescription. For item 25.01.01.00.1, the MiGeL requires a prescription from an ophthalmologist once a year. Follow-up adjustments in between, for example if a child’s eyesight changes slightly during the year, may be made by optometrists. You buy the glasses themselves from an optician authorised as a dispensing outlet.

The reimbursement is set as a maximum reimbursement amount. This means the insurer pays the actual costs up to no more than CHF 180.67. If the glasses cost more, you pay the difference yourself. This is laid down in Art. 24 para. 3 KLV. If they cost less, the insurer pays only the lower amount.

It is important to understand what “per year” means. The preliminary notes to the MiGeL explain it with an example: a maximum amount “per year” applies to 365 days from the first purchase, not to the calendar year. If a child buys glasses on 31 October, the next reimbursement can be made at the earliest for a purchase in November of the following year. Basic health insurance does not pay extra for a second pair within the same period, for example as a replacement after a breakage.

The contribution towards glasses from basic health insurance is also subject to statutory co-payment. Like any other bill, it is first counted towards the deductible, after which the retention fee of 10% applies. There is no standard deductible for children, but parents may have chosen an optional deductible of up to CHF 600. Whether any money is paid back in the end therefore depends on how many other costs have already been incurred in the same year.

Another social insurance scheme may also be responsible. The MiGeL states that disability insurance (IV) also covers glasses and contact lenses, for example for congenital disorders. If disability, accident or military insurance is liable to pay, that scheme settles the bill, and basic health insurance pays nothing in addition.

In supplementary insurance, the contract applies. Typical variables are the maximum amount, the interval (for example every one, two or three calendar years), whether frames count or only lenses, whether a prescription from an ophthalmologist or an eye test at the optician’s is enough, and whether laser eye surgery is covered. These points are set out in your insurer’s GTC, not in the law. In the supplementary insurance comparison, we set out the benefits of the products side by side.

Legal basis

Under Art. 25 para. 2 let. b KVG, basic health insurance covers aids and appliances prescribed by a doctor that serve to diagnose or treat an illness and its consequences. Art. 52 para. 1 let. a no. 3 KVG instructs the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) to issue the provisions on the obligation to pay for these aids and appliances and the amount of reimbursement. Under Art. 52 para. 3 KVG, they may be billed to basic health insurance at no more than these rates.

The details are set out in the KLV. Art. 20 KLV lays down the principle: reimbursement covers aids and appliances supplied by an authorised dispensing outlet on a doctor’s instructions. Art. 24 KLV states that the maximum reimbursement amounts by product description are listed in Annex 2, the MiGeL, and that the difference to a higher price is borne by the insured person. The MiGeL itself is not printed in the Classified Compilation of Federal Legislation but is published by the FOPH; this page is based on the edition as of 01.07.2026.

Co-payment is governed by Art. 64 KVG: deductible and 10% retention fee, with no standard deductible for children and half the maximum retention fee.

There is no statutory requirement for a contribution towards glasses in supplementary insurance. It is governed by the Insurance Contract Act (ICA), and the scope of benefits results solely from the policy and the GTC.

Example: children’s glasses for Lea, aged 9

Lea is 9 years old. The ophthalmologist diagnoses short-sightedness and prescribes glasses in March 2026. The glasses cost CHF 390.00 at the optician’s. Lea’s parents have chosen a deductible of CHF 0 for her, and Lea has had no other medical costs so far in 2026. The basic health insurance amounts come from the MiGeL as of 01.07.2026 and from Art. 64 KVG; the supplementary insurance amount is an assumed contract value.

If Lea needs new lenses in December 2026 because her short-sightedness has increased, basic health insurance does not pay again: the 365 days since the purchase in March are not yet over. Only a purchase from March 2027 can be reimbursed again. If Lea’s short-sightedness increases significantly and measurably, the ophthalmologist can check whether the myopia control item (no more than CHF 850.00 per year up to the 21st birthday) might apply; the conditions for this are described narrowly and precisely in the MiGeL.

What this means for you

Whether a contribution towards glasses through supplementary insurance is worth it is purely a matter of arithmetic. You pay the premium for supplementary outpatient insurance every month, but you receive the contribution towards glasses no more often than the contract allows. Three questions help:

1. How often do you need new lenses? Children’s eyesight often changes every year; adults’ less often. A contribution “every three years” is of little use if you need new lenses every year.
2. What else does the supplementary insurance cover? Supplementary outpatient insurance usually bundles several benefits, for example medicines not covered by basic health insurance, transport or prevention. The contribution towards glasses alone is rarely a reason to take it out.
3. How high is the premium compared with the contribution? Compare the annual premium with the maximum contribution over the same period. If the premium is higher, you are in effect paying for the glasses yourself.

For children, it is always worth having the glasses prescribed by an ophthalmologist and submitting the bill. Every child is entitled to the CHF 180.67 up to their 18th birthday, whichever insurer you choose. You can see which insurers offer which supplementary products in the health insurer profiles. You can compare the basic health insurance premium for your child in the premium calculator; information on the children’s premium is in the glossary.

When switching insurer, bear in mind: you switch basic health insurance independently of supplementary insurance. However, you will not always be able to get cancelled supplementary insurance back, because under the ICA the insurer may ask health questions and reject applications. So do not cancel existing supplementary insurance before the new contract has been confirmed in writing. You will find the dates under Deadlines.

Common mistakes

• Having your eyesight tested only at the optician’s. For the contribution from basic health insurance, you need a prescription from an ophthalmologist once a year. Without it, the insurer pays nothing.
• Understanding “per year” as the calendar year. The 365 days run from the first purchase. A pair of glasses in December and another in January are not two annual contributions.
• Adults counting on basic health insurance. Basic health insurance pays nothing for an ordinary refractive error in adults; it pays only if eyesight changes because of an illness, a medicine or an operation.
• Forgetting the deductible. The contribution towards glasses is also counted towards the deductible. With a high deductible, often no money is paid back.
• Cancelling or taking out supplementary insurance because of glasses. The contribution towards glasses is usually only a small part of supplementary outpatient insurance. Compare the whole package.

We describe how we check amounts and sources under How we calculate.