Those who buy contact lenses on a regular basis or those who have to buy their children their first pair of glasses will know that the average cost (both contact lenses and glasses) is between €150 and €200, but it is anticipated that by 2025 this will change and they will become free for some families, especially the most vulnerable.
The Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, has announced that from next year thousands of Spaniards will be able to benefit from the new agreement to make eyeglasses and contact lenses free of charge. As he explained at the Public Health Forum, it will be from 2025 and will take into account economic income.
This is an egalitarian measure so that children who need glasses do not see their ability to have better visual health diminished. Myopia is a serious problem in Spain, especially among the very young. It is estimated that in our country 55.3% of young people aged 18 to 34 years and 62.5% of university students aged 17 to 27 years are nearsighted, according to figures from the latest edition of the Vision White Paper.
Spain joins other European Union countries that have a similar measure, such as in the United Kingdom, where there are vouchers aimed at minors, or in Germany, which has free contact lenses and glasses for children under 18.
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The Government’s agreement establishes that it is aimed at families with fewer resources, without specifying income limits, with children under 18 years of age as dependents. If this benefit were finally universal, it would benefit 30 million Spaniards with sight problems.
The minister has given a date, although we do not have an exact day. We know it will be from 2025, but we do not yet know when. The rest of the details are still up in the air and for the moment the Government has not yet commented on further details, so we will have to continue to wait for the next steps.
In her declarations in the context of the Public Health Forum, the minister assured that “it cannot be that the visual or oral health system is not included in the National Health System” and explained that they will work hard to make it a reality by 2025. So, fillings may also cost a little less by then.