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10-03-2025

Glaucoma is a silent threat to vision: know what is covered by the health insurance funds

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On World Glaucoma Week, specialists of the health insurance funds remind you which healthcare services and medical devices for people with vision problems are covered by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund.

If you want to avoid irreversible blindness caused by glaucoma, make sure you take care of your eyes and see an ophthalmologist regularly to diagnose the disease in time and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Where to go?

If you notice signs of visual impairment or want to check your visual acuity, you should first visit your family doctor. If your doctor suspects a problem after assessing your condition, you can see an ophthalmologist with a referral, who will prescribe tests and treatment if necessary.

With a referral, you will be able to choose your own ophthalmologist at any healthcare facility that provides these services and has a contract with the territorial health insurance fund. For a list of healthcare facilities, that have agreements with the health insurance funds, click here.

Eye disease screening for different age groups 

The family doctor assesses patient’s eyesight during the preventive check-up. Children of pre-school and school age have their vision checked annually. For those aged 19-40, visual acuity and intraocular pressure are checked once every two years. For people aged 41-65, visual acuity is also checked every two years and intraocular pressure annually. From the age of 65 years onwards, visual acuity and intraocular pressure are checked annually.

If spectacle lenses are needed

“For patients with visual impairment, reimbursement ranges from EUR 95 to EUR 148, depending on the strength of the lenses. Children are reimbursed once a year, adults – once every two years,” – Sonata Leščinskienė, Head of the Control Division of Klaipėda Territorial Health Insurance Fund, says.

Spectacle lenses for both children and adults can also be reimbursed if visual acuity of a better-seeing eye with full correction does not exceed 0.5 visual acuity units. In this case, all spectacle lenses are reimbursed at 100%.

All children up to the age of 7, regardless of visual acuity, are fitted with spectacle lenses at a 70% compensation level.

According to the data of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), more than 1 700 pairs of spectacle lenses were reimbursed to children and almost 400 pairs to adults last year.

If your ophthalmologist gives you a referral for reimbursable spectacle lenses, buy them from opticians who have a contract with the NHIF. A list of opticians can be found here.

Reimbursed medicines

Specialists of the health insurance funds remind you that medicines for glaucoma, inflammation of the blood vessels in the eye (uveitis) and biological therapy for inflammation of the blood vessels in the eye (uveitis) are also reimbursed.

These medicines are prescribed and dispensed by an ophthalmologist providing healthcare services of level 3.

(Getty Images photo)

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 31-03-2025

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