Eye care, glasses and LAMal
To verify This page has 3 items that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check them yourself before relying on them:
- What this means for most adult students: ordinary glasses or lenses for short-sightedness are not refunded by …
- Eye exams by a doctor are medical consultations billed under LAMal like other doctor visits; the optician's ow…
- The eye test must be no older than 24 months when you file the application (OAC art. 9 para. 3). Price of the …
Who to see for your eyes in Vaud, what basic health insurance pays for glasses and contact lenses, where to go in an eye emergency, and the eye test for a driving licence.
Key facts
- Ophthalmologist (ophtalmologue) = medical doctor for eye diseases, injuries and prescriptions. Optician / optometrist (opticien, optométriste) = measures your sight, fits and sells glasses and lenses.
- Basic LAMal and glasses for adults: in general basic insurance pays for glasses or contact lenses only up to age 18. From 19 on, it pays only in special medical cases (for example a change in your sight caused by an illness, medication or an operation).
- Eye emergency in Lausanne: the Hôpital ophtalmique Jules-Gonin emergency service is open every day, 24/7. Bring an ID document and your health insurance card.
- Driving licence: for a learner permit or the exchange of a foreign licence, you need an eye test signed by a diploma optician, an optometrist, a doctor or an ophthalmologist practising in Switzerland.
- General emergency number: 144. See Health emergencies.
1. Ophthalmologist or optician?
| You need | Go to |
|---|---|
| Red, painful eye, injury, sudden loss of vision, flashes or a curtain in your vision | Eye emergency (section 3) or 144 |
| Eye disease, check-up, prescription that insurance may refund | Ophthalmologist (often via your GP, see GP and pharmacy) |
| New glasses or lenses, sight test, eye test form for the driving licence | Optician or optometrist |
The federal list of covered aids (LiMA) says that, for the cases it covers, the prescription for glasses or lenses must be made by an ophthalmologist, and later adjustments can be done by an optometrist. If you want the insurer to contribute, ask your ophthalmologist first.
2. What basic LAMal pays for glasses and lenses
Glasses and contact lenses are in chapter 25 "Aides visuelles" of the LiMA (list of aids and devices, annex 2 of the OPAS benefits ordinance), version valid from 1 July 2026. The amounts are maximum refunds, not prices.
| LiMA position | What it covers | Maximum refund |
|---|---|---|
| 25.01.01.00.1 Glasses / contact lenses | Children and young people up to age 18, one ophthalmologist prescription per year | CHF 180.67 per year |
| 25.02.01.00.1 Special cases | All ages, once a year per eye, only if your refraction changes because of an illness, medication or an operation | CHF 180.67 per year |
| 25.02.02.00.1 Special cases contact lenses I | All ages, every 2 years per eye, only with strong values (for example myopia below -8.0 or hyperopia above +6.0 dioptres) and lenses improving sight by 2/10 compared with glasses | CHF 271.00 |
| 25.02.03.00.1 / 25.02.03.01.1 Special cases II | All ages, for example irregular astigmatism, disease or injury of the cornea, after corneal surgery, iris defects | CHF 632.34 per eye (lenses) or per pair (glasses) |
| 25.02.04.00.1 Special cases III | Progressive myopia, up to age 21, special myopia-control lenses on an ophthalmologist's form | CHF 850.00 per year |
What this means for most adult students: ordinary glasses or lenses for short-sightedness are not refunded by basic insurance. Your franchise and co-payment also apply to what is refunded (see LAMal basics). Some supplementary insurances contribute to glasses: To verify with your own insurer.
Eye exams by a doctor are medical consultations billed under LAMal like other doctor visits; the optician's own sight test is usually not: To verify with the shop and your insurer.
Dental care follows a similar "mostly not covered" logic: see Dental care and LAMal.
3. Eye emergencies: Hôpital ophtalmique Jules-Gonin
- Emergency service open every day, 24/7 (Lausanne).
- Take a ticket at the reception kiosk. Bring an ID document and your health insurance card (compulsory).
- Patients are seen by order of severity, not order of arrival. A nurse may offer you a deferred emergency appointment instead of waiting.
- The hospital points to the Medigo app for real-time waiting levels in Vaud emergency departments.
- Hospital phone: +41 21 626 81 11.
Life-threatening or major injury: call 144.
4. Eye test for the driving licence (Vaud)
The Vaud application form for a learner permit (section 4, "Examen de la vue") states:
- The section is not needed if you already hold a valid learner permit or a valid Swiss driving licence.
- Otherwise it must be completed by a diploma optician, a doctor, an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, all practising in Switzerland, for learner permits (categories A, A35kW, A1, B, B1, F, G, M) and for exchanging a foreign driving licence.
- The test covers visual acuity, visual field and eye mobility.
The eye test must be no older than 24 months when you file the application (OAC art. 9 para. 3). Price of the test at an optician: To verify (set by the shop). Full licence steps: see Driving licence.