Can I sign up if I am new to Germany?

Yes, supplementary tariffs are open to people in public health insurance. You will usually answer a few health questions, including about your eyesight.

Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Supplementary health

Is glasses insurance worth it in Germany?

In short

For most people glasses insurance in Germany is not worth it. It usually costs EUR 5 to 15 a month and pays about EUR 100 to 400 every one to three years, often barely more than you pay in. Public health insurance only helps adults above 6 dioptres. It can make sense as part of an outpatient tariff you already use.

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Is glasses insurance worth it in Germany?

What it costs

Premiums and payouts from published overviews of glasses and outpatient tariffs in Germany.

Example	Typical range
Simple glasses module	from about EUR 3 a month
Typical outpatient tariff with glasses cover	about EUR 5 to 15 a month
Strong outpatient tariff	about EUR 20 to 35 a month
Payout for glasses	about EUR 100 to 400 every one to three years
Glasses budgets of individual tariffs	about EUR 150 to 400 over two years

Guide values, October 2026, from published tariff overviews.

Premium and budget depend on tariff and age; we obtain the exact quote for you.

The worked example is a guide value from our quoting practice.

Worked example

Single-vision glasses every two years over twelve years

Here is the maths if you buy a EUR 300 pair every two years and choose a tariff at EUR 10 a month.

Six pairs at EUR 300	EUR 1,800
Premiums, 12 years × EUR 120	EUR 1,440
Payout with a EUR 300 budget every two years	at most EUR 1,800
Payout at 80 percent of the bill	EUR 1,440

At best EUR 360 is left after twelve years, about EUR 2.50 a month. At 80 percent reimbursement premiums and payouts cancel out exactly. If you buy new glasses less often, you lose money.

What public health insurance pays

If you are in statutory health insurance (GKV), you get money for glasses as an adult only in exceptional cases: short or long sight of more than 6 dioptres, astigmatism of more than 4 dioptres or a severe visual impairment. Children and teenagers up to 18 get a subsidy for the lenses.

Even then the fund pays only a fixed amount (Festbetrag) for simple lenses. The frame, anti-reflective coating or thinner lenses are on you. If you come from a country where public insurance covers glasses, this is a common surprise.

Case	Public insurance pays	What you pay
Adults, normal short or long sight	nothing	the whole pair
Adults, more than 6 dioptres	fixed amount for lenses	frame and extras
Children and teenagers up to 18	fixed amount for lenses	frame and extras
Severe visual impairment	fixed amount for lenses	frame and extras

Is glasses insurance worth it? The honest maths

In Germany glasses cover is usually one module of an outpatient supplementary tariff (ambulante Zusatzversicherung). It pays a fixed budget, often EUR 150 to 375 over two years, sometimes only 80 percent of the bill.

At EUR 10 a month you pay in EUR 240 over two years. You get back at most the budget, and only if you actually buy new glasses. The tariff is priced so the company does not lose money on average, so little is left over for you.

When it can still add up

If the glasses module sits inside an outpatient tariff you use anyway for alternative practitioners (Heilpraktiker), check-ups or eye tests, the glasses part costs you little extra.

Some tariffs pay early when your eyesight changes by more than 0.5 dioptres. With fast-changing values, for example in children, that can help.

Optician policies are something else

Many opticians sell their own insurance with a new pair. It mainly covers breakage, loss or theft of that pair, sometimes new lenses if your prescription changes.

These policies vary a lot. Check the excess, the term and whether you can only claim at the same shop. For an inexpensive pair the extra cost rarely pays off.

Step by step

Work out how often you buy glasses and what they cost.
Check whether public insurance pays because of high dioptres.
Compare two years of premiums with the budget for the same period.
Read the reimbursement rate, waiting period and budget period carefully.
Only sign if the tariff includes other benefits you will definitely use.

Checklist

Budget per period higher than premiums for the same period
Reimbursement of 100 percent, not only 80
Contact lenses included if you wear them
Early payout when your prescription changes
No long waiting period if new glasses are due soon

Common mistakes

Treating glasses insurance as protection against large costs when it only pays small amounts
Buying new glasses just so the budget does not expire
Adding an optician's breakage cover to an inexpensive pair
Not claiming the public subsidy with high dioptres

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

How much does glasses insurance cost per month?

Usually EUR 5 to 15, simple tariffs from about EUR 3. Strong outpatient tariffs with glasses cover cost EUR 20 to 35.

Does public health insurance pay for my glasses?

For adults only above 6 dioptres, above 4 dioptres of astigmatism or with severe visual impairment. Children and teenagers up to 18 get a subsidy for the lenses. The frame is never covered.

Is it worth it for varifocals?

Rarely. Varifocals can cost EUR 1,200, but budgets are usually EUR 150 to 400 over two years. You still pay most of it yourself.

Are contact lenses covered?

In many tariffs yes, within the same budget as glasses. Check before signing if you wear lenses.

Can I get cover without a waiting period?

Yes, some tariffs pay straight away. A three-month waiting period is common, though.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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Supplementary health insurance in Germany

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