Visual aids

I need glasses or contact lenses!

Vision is an essential part of our daily lives, influencing the way we see the world around us. Here I find out about the different options available to me to maintain clear, sharp vision.

While ocular prostheses are not visual aids in the sense of enhancing vision, they play a crucial role in restoring cosmetic appearance and supporting psychological and social well-being.

Everything I need to know

I click on the tab I am interested in to find out more.

In a nutshell

A medical prescription is required for tinted lenses or for my child under the age of 18.

In other cases, if I have impaired vision in at least one eye, I do not need a prescription.

I can renew my glasses every 3 years unless my vision has deteriorated significantly (there is no time limit for children under 18).

I pay the bill and claim reimbursement from the CNS.

What are the conditions for reimbursement?

With medical prescription

A duly substantiated doctor's prescription is required for coverage:

  • Tinted lenses (only covered for a range of medical conditions: albinism, chronic conjunctivitis, glaucoma, blindness, etc.).
  • Glasses for children under the age of 18, except in the case of replacement of damaged lenses within the first six months of purchase.

Without medical prescription

Mineral or organic lenses and frames are reimbursed by health insurance without a medical prescription, provided that I have a visual impairment in at least one eye.

Made from natural glass, mineral lenses are scratch-resistant but sensitive to impact.
Plastic lenses are impact-resistant but sensitive to scratches. For greater resistance, they require a special treatment known as ‘hardening’. Other treatments are possible: tinting, smudge-proofing, anti-reflective, anti-UV, etc.

Special lenses with a high refractive index

The glass index is a number that describes the thickness or thinness of your lenses. The higher the index of a lens, the thinner it becomes. Light and elegant, these lenses are designed to meet the most demanding visual requirements. The health insurance covers the cost of two special high refractive index lenses if I have a visual defect of 6.00 dioptres or more in at least one eye.

Progressive lenses

Two progressive lenses are covered if I have an addition of +2.50 dioptres in at least one eye.

When can I renew my glasses?

Health insurance reimburses one spectacle frame and one pair of lenses for a single vision every three years, unless the diopter changes by +/- 0.50 or more.

For children under the age of 18, there is no renewal period. From the age of 18, the renewal period is 3 years.

Please note! When calculating the renewal period, the starting point is the date on which the CNS covers the cost of the glasses, not the date on which they were purchased. If, however, I am not sure that I meet the conditions for renewal, I should contact the CNS to find out the date on which I was last covered.

How do I get my glasses reimbursed?

I send the CNS the original, duly paid invoice from my optician, including my 13-digit national identification number.

Please note!

  • Tinted lenses: enclose a doctor's prescription specifying the number of the pathology justifying the prescription of tinted lenses.
  • Children under 18: please also enclose a doctor's prescription unless the lenses are being replaced within the first six months of purchase.

Flat-rate reimbursement for frames

I am free to choose the frame that suits me best. In addition to the free frames, my optician will present me with four men's models or four women's models, the sale price of which may not exceed the amount covered by the health insurance fund.

The frames are reimbursed up to a maximum of €30.00.

Reimbursement of lenses

The cost of glasses is covered in accordance with the rates set out in the agreement between the CNS and the professional association representing opticians.

For detailed information on the cost of glasses, both for me and for the CNS, I can ask my optician in Luxembourg for a quote. This will give me a precise estimate of the costs associated with my choice of frames and lenses.

In a nutshell

My contact lenses are reimbursed at 100% of the official tariff if I have one of the listed medical conditions for which reimbursement is justified.

If I don't meet all the conditions for reimbursement of contact lenses but qualify for reimbursement of glasses, I can request reimbursement for contact lenses using the flat rate allocated for glasses instead. This flat-rate reimbursement is calculated based on the amounts granted for frames and lenses.

I can renew my contact lenses every 3 years, unless my vision changes or there is a specific medical indication.

I pay the invoice and claim reimbursement from the CNS.

What are the conditions for reimbursement?

I will be fully reimbursed (100% of the tariff) on presentation of a duly substantiated medical prescription, if I suffer from one of the following pathologies:

  1. Ametropia greater than or equal to 6 dioptres;
  2. Irregular astigmatism, provided that the improvement in visual acuity is at least 20% compared with ordinary lenses;
  3. Keratoconus;
  4. Uni- and bilateral aphakia;
  5. Aniseiconia;
  6. Anisometropia of more than 3 dioptres;
  7. Nystagmus of fixation;
  8. Anisocoria;
  9. Corneal dystrophy;
  10. Genetic evolutionary myopia;
  11. Corneal or scleral trauma.

    Authorisation from the Medical Board of Social Security (Contrôle médical de la sécurité sociale) is required for:
  12. Facial or cranial trauma making it difficult to wear glasses;
  13. Skin hypersensitivity making it impossible to wear glasses (allergy to the material).

When can I renew my contact lenses?

The renewal period for contact lenses is 3 years, unless there is a precise medical indication or a change in dioptre greater than or equal to +/- 0.50.

How can I get my contact lenses reimbursed?

Normal reimbursement

I am eligible if I have one of the medical conditions listed under ‘Conditions for reimbursement’.
I pay the optician's invoice and request reimbursement by sending the CNS :

  • The original paid invoice from my optician, including my 13-digit national identification number;
  • A doctor's prescription indicating the number of the medical condition justifying the wearing of contact lenses.

Coverage is based on the tariffs set out in the agreement between the CNS and the Fédération des Patrons Opticiens et Optométristes du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg. It includes:

  • The first maintenance supply (special watertight cases and solution for sterilisation, hydrophilisation and isotonic treatment of contact surfaces);
  • Exchange of lenses under conventional cover;
  • The four trial, adaptation and control sessions, which take place in a specially equipped practice with appropriate control instruments and within twelve months of the contact lenses being issued.

Please note! If an intolerance of the eye is noted within 30 days of the first trial session, and after the following two sessions the contact lenses cannot be supplied, only the three trial sessions may be billed.

Coverage of contact lenses by means of a flat-rate for glasses

If I do not receive the normal reimbursement but I meet the conditions for reimbursement of the cost of frames and lenses, I can claim reimbursement of the cost of my contact lenses on the basis of a flat-rate payment:

  • The amount of thirty euros (€30) corresponding to the flat-rate charge for a frame.
  • The amount corresponding to the price of lenses that would have been covered if glasses had been supplied.

This reimbursement is granted instead of replacing a real pair of glasses.
The renewal period is 3 years unless there is a specific medical indication or a change in dioptre as taken into account for spectacle lenses.
In the event of successive deliveries of contact lenses, several invoices may be accumulated up to the fixed rate described above, provided that they are submitted in a single payment.

In a nutshell

While ocular prostheses are not visual aids in the sense of enhancing vision, they play a crucial role in restoring cosmetic appearance and supporting psychological and social well-being.

A medical prescription is required for the initial prosthesis but not for its renewal. The renewal period is 12 months for glass prostheses and 36 months for plastic prostheses.

For children under 14, there is no renewal period if justified by their growth.

I pay the invoice and submit a request for reimbursement.

My prosthesis will be reimbursed at 100% of the standard rate, based on the prosthesis model.

Do I need a prescription?

A medical prescription is required for the first ocular prosthesis, but not for a renewal.

When can I renew my ocular prosthesis?

Except in the case of people who have recently undergone an enucleation (3 to 6 months), or in the event of circumstances justifying a more rapid replacement, the renewal period is:

  • 12 months for a glass ocular prosthesis
  • 36 months for a plastic ocular prosthesis

This renewal period does not apply to children under the age of 14 if a new prosthesis is prescribed because of their growth.

How can I obtain reimbursement for my ocular prostheses?

I pay the invoice and request reimbursement by sending the CNS:

  • The original paid invoice
  • The original prescription, if necessary
  • My 13-digit national identification number

Amount of reimbursement

The reimbursement is 100% of the official tariffs to be consulted in file B1 under the following codes:

V98E

  • Custom-made glass ocular prosthesis
  • Custom-made scleral ocular prosthesis

V98EX

  • Plastic ocular prosthesis without moulding
  • Plastic ocular prosthesis with moulding

 

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