Ophthalmology and Eye Care Cover
Eye care splits into two things people mix up all the time. There is the medical side, which is an eye doctor diagnosing and treating a problem, and there is the glasses side, which is the lenses you walk out with. They are covered in completely different ways, and knowing which is which is worth real money.
What does an ophthalmologist actually do?
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specialises in eyes. They diagnose disease, prescribe treatment, and operate - cataracts, glaucoma, a detached retina, that kind of thing.
An optician is not a doctor. They test your sight and sell you glasses. Plenty of eye problems are picked up in a high street sight test, but the person who treats them is the ophthalmologist, and that is the appointment your health cover is for.
Which symptoms should you get looked at?
Some of these are urgent enough to skip the waiting and go straight to A&E:
- Sudden loss of vision, in one eye or both - treat as an emergency
- A curtain or shadow coming across your vision, or a sudden burst of floaters and flashes - possible retinal detachment, also an emergency
- Eye pain with headache, nausea or halos around lights - can be acute glaucoma
- Gradual blurring, or colours looking washed out and dim
- Straight lines looking bent or wavy - worth checking for macular problems
- Double vision that is new
The slow ones matter as much as the dramatic ones. Sight fades gradually enough that you adapt without noticing, which is exactly why it goes unreported for years.
Does your health cover include eye care?
Yes. Ophthalmology is one of the medical specialties on Sanitas plans, so consultations, diagnosis and treatment work like any other specialist - you book an eye doctor from the Sanitas list and go.
What it does not cover is the glasses. That is a separate thing, and it is where people get caught out.
What about glasses and contact lenses?
Those come under the optical add-on, which claims back 50% of prescription lenses and contact lenses, up to €600 per person per year. Half, not the lot – on a €300 pair of lenses you get €150 back. Worth knowing before you rely on it:
- It covers lenses, prescribed by an ophthalmologist. Frames are not included, nor anything else on the invoice
- You make one claim a year, for a single invoice - so time it for when you are replacing everything at once
- There is a three month wait before you can claim on it
- You can add it for one person or for everyone on the policy, at any time
You claim by sending the receipt and the prescription through the app.
How often should you get your eyes tested?
Every two years is the usual advice if nothing is wrong. Go more often if you are over 60, diabetic, very short-sighted, or if glaucoma runs in your family - all of those raise the odds enough to be worth watching.
Children are the other group worth being deliberate about. A child does not know their sight is poor, because they have nothing to compare it with. Colour blindness in particular usually goes undetected until someone tests for it.
Does screen time damage your eyes?
Not permanently, on the current evidence. Long stretches of screen work make eyes dry, tired and sore because you blink less, which is unpleasant but not damage.
The clearer concern is with children. More time indoors and close-up seems to track with short-sightedness rising, and daylight appears to be protective. If a child is squinting, sitting close to the screen or complaining of headaches, get their eyes measured properly.
Can you protect your eyesight?
Partly. Sunglasses matter more here than in northern Europe, because ultraviolet exposure builds up over decades and contributes to cataracts. Wear them in summer and in winter glare.
Not smoking helps, and so does keeping blood pressure and blood sugar in range - both damage the small vessels at the back of the eye long before you notice anything. If you are diabetic, the annual retinal check is the one appointment not to skip.
Where do you find an eye specialist?
The Sanitas directory holds 927 clinics with an ophthalmologist across 50 provinces, and 2,086 named eye specialists working in them. You can search by area and see addresses, phone numbers and directions before you book:
Where should you start?
If something has changed suddenly, do not wait for an appointment - go to A&E. If it is the slow sort of change, book an eye doctor and get it measured.
And if you already know you will be buying lenses this year, look at whether the optical add-on covers more than it costs, remembering the three month wait before you can claim. The cost guide works through how the plans price up.
