The Essentials in 30 Seconds
- Basic Insurance (KVG): Only covers medical necessity (e.g., >10 diopters, contact lens intolerance, keratoconus, accident-related conditions).
- Supplementary Insurance (VVG): Packages such as Helsana Completa or Swica Optima often cover CHF 500 to 1,000 for laser or lens procedures.
- The Tax Advantage: In the Canton of Zurich, self-paid medical expenses exceeding 5% of net income can be deducted.
- Cataracts: Here, insurance covers the basic procedure. You only pay for the upgrade to premium lenses (trifocal) or laser precision.
- Our Service: We prepare all necessary cost approvals and tax-compliant receipts for you.
Procedure for cost coverage by basic insurance:
If you meet one of the requirements for laser eye surgery to be covered by Swiss basic insurance, your health insurance company can reimburse the costs of the procedure “after special consultation”. To do this, you must submit a certificate from EyeLaser to the insurance company in advance, confirming that the above-mentioned requirements have been met.
Your health insurance company will then decide whether and how much it will pay. It is conceivable that only the costs for one eye will be covered, as glasses could then correct the remaining defective vision. However, if the visual defect is to be completely corrected, you will have to bear the remaining costs yourself.
Conclusion: It depends on the individual case and must be clarified in advance in order to have the necessary certainty.
Have a medical report drawn up by EyeLaser Zurich:
As an eye laser specialist in Zurich, we will be happy to provide you with comprehensive advice regarding your vision correction through laser eye surgery or lens surgery. We are familiar with the process of having the costs of laser eye surgery covered by health insurance and can support you with the necessary medical documents.
In the course of the preliminary examination, your eyes and your defective vision will be comprehensively examined and we will be happy to draw up a corresponding report for you, including the following transparent cost accounting.
Laser Eye Surgery Supplementary Insurance in Switzerland
The chances that your health insurance company will cover the laser eye surgery costs are significantly higher if you have opted for appropriate supplementary insurance. Whether and up to what amount supplementary insurance will support you depends on the insurer and the selected tariff.
There are over 50 health insurance companies in Switzerland, each offering different portfolios of supplementary benefits. Below we have compiled an overview of health insurances and their supplementary insurances that cover (at least part of) the costs of laser eye surgery: Please note that our list does not claim to be complete, up-to-date or correct. You should always check for yourself, then consult your health insurance company individually and obtain their approval to be sure that they will cover the costs.
Basic Insurance (KVG) – “The Obligation”
Mandatory health insurance (OKP) generally classifies refractive surgery as a “non-mandatory benefit.” Glasses and contact lenses are considered reasonable aids.
The Rare Exceptions (according to MiGeL):
Coverage is only possible when glasses no longer provide adequate visual acuity. This applies to cases such as:
- Extremely High Refractive Error: Over +/- 10 diopters or >3 diopters of astigmatism.
- Anisometropia: A difference of more than 3 diopters between both eyes (binocular vision impaired).
- Diseases: E.g., after corneal transplants or scarring.
- Keratoconus: Crosslinking (CXL) is usually covered in cases of progression.
Supplementary Insurance (VVG) – “The Optional Coverage”
This is where the potential lies. Since laser eye surgery is considered preventive healthcare, many insurers contribute.
Overview of Contributions (Guideline Values):
(Please check your individual policy)
| Insurance | Package Example | Contribution (approx.) | Tip |
| Helsana | SANA / COMPLETA | 75% up to CHF 1,000 | Often applies every 5 calendar years. |
| Swica | OPTIMA | up to CHF 1,000 | Often applies to “preventive care/vision aids.” |
| CSS | myFlex Ambulant | up to CHF 1,000 | Depending on tier (Economy/Balance/Premium). |
| Visana | Ambulant | CHF 200–500 | Often combinable with eyewear credit. |
| Concordia | DIVERSA | approx. CHF 200 | Rather low contribution. |
| Sanitas | Vital | up to CHF 1,000 | Depending on tier. |
The Tax Deduction (The “Zurich Advantage”)
Many patients underestimate this point. In the Canton of Zurich (and many others), medical expenses can be deducted as “extraordinary expenses.”
Special Case: Cataracts (The Hybrid Model)
This often causes confusion. We provide clarity through the splitting procedure.
- Invoice 1 (To Health Insurance): The clinic bills the removal of the cloudy lens and implantation of a standard lens directly according to TARDOC.
- Invoice 2 (To You): You only receive the invoice for the “upgrade” to quality of life (e.g., trifocal lens for freedom from glasses or femto laser for precision).
Advantage: You only pay for the added value, not the entire procedure.
Our insurers
We are proud to be associated with top quality private medical insurance
Quality of life, freedom & independence: not worth any money in the world
Dr. med. Victor Derhartunian
Expert in Refractive Surgery & Patient Advocate
“My goal is not only the best vision for you, but also the fairest path to get there. We fight for every justified reimbursement for our patients and support you with the bureaucracy.”
What you invest in laser eye treatment today will benefit you for the rest of your life. The high prices are largely due to the extremely expensive equipment we need to give you a clear view.
However, we want as many people as possible to be able to live without visual impairment and dependence on glasses or contact lenses. We are therefore currently working on being able to offer you attractive financing models (interest-free financing over 6 months or loan installments over 5 years) and support you with the assumption of costs by your health insurance company.
Which laser eye surgery method suits your eyes, your everyday life & your budget?
Frequently asked questions
A lens exchange involves replacing the body’s natural lens with an artificial lens. If this procedure is carried out to correct a visual defect(short-sightedness, long-sightedness, presbyopia or astigmatism), the health insurance company will only pay for it under the conditions of laser eye surgery.
The situation is different if lens replacement – also known as cataract surgery – is medically necessary because the natural lens becomes cloudy. In these cases, the lens must be replaced, otherwise the patient may even go blind.
Health insurance companies (basic insurance) cover cataract surgery using monofocal lenses.
Why an additional payment for a multifocal lens can be worthwhile
If the patient suffers from other visual defects in addition to cataracts, the monofocal lens (with one focal point) can only provide sharp vision at a distance or (!) at close range. Astigmatism cannot be corrected and you will most likely need to wear reading glasses after the procedure.
A premium multifocal lens / EDOF (with several focal points) enables a holistic correction of visual defects in addition to the healing of the cataract. You will no longer need to wear any visual aids and will be permanently free of myopia, long-sightedness, presbyopia, astigmatism and cataracts.
The surcharge for permanent freedom from spectacles gives you so much additional quality of life that we can only warmly recommend you opt for multifocal lenses(premium lens exchange)!
Eye surgery with Swiss precision
Quality is in our DNA
Everything we do is optimised down to the very finest detail.
There’s a right way and a wrong way
The right clinic is not too cheap, too “chain” or too costly. The right clinic is precisely right.
Superior precision
Our vision correction method leaves no room for disappointment.
Get to know the eye experts
Discover our laser eye surgeons in the heart of Zurich
Ophthalmologist, specialist in refractive surgery
FEBO
Having learned his craft from the two pioneers of laser surgery, Dr. Victor Derhartunian is one of the leading surgeons in Europe. The senior eye surgeon at EyeLaser in Zurich can advise his patients in 5 languages.
Ophthalmologist and eye surgeon
FEBO
Since 2024, Dr. Valery Lenzt Wittwer joins the EyeLaser Zurich team. He specializes in lens surgery and enables patients to live without cataracts and/or visual defects through cataract surgery and ICL lens implantation.