The Government reinforces the right to see well with the expansion of the VEO Plan: 23 additional millions so that children's glasses do not depend on the family's pocket

The Government has decided to expand the VEO Plan after nearly half a million children and adolescents have resorted to these aids during its first eight months of operation. The second phase will have an additional 23 million euros, an injection that raises the total investment announced by the Executive to 73 million.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, presented the expansion this Monday together with the Minister of Health, Mónica García. The aid will continue to cover up to 100 euros per child per year for buying glasses, prescription lenses, or contact lenses and can be requested until next December 31, 2026.

The program seeks to reduce the gap caused by the cost of these products in low-income households. According to data handled by the Executive, more than 700,000 children and adolescents suffer from visual poverty in Spain and one in three minors with poor academic results could have an undiagnosed vision problem.

"To discover the world, you first have to see it well," Sánchez defended during the event held at the Ministry of Health. The head of the Executive linked the continuity of the plan with the commitment to prevent a family's economic capacity from deciding whether a minor can correct their myopia, astigmatism, or any other visual problem.

Up to 100 euros without income requirement

The VEO Plan is aimed at minors up to and including 16 years of age who are entitled to publicly funded healthcare. Those covered by MUFACE, MUGEJU, or ISFAS can also access it. The aid is universal and, therefore, does not require proof of a specific income level.

The processing is carried out directly at an affiliated optician. When the product costs less than 100 euros, the program covers the full amount. If it exceeds that amount, the family only has to pay the difference. The subsidy allows for the purchase of a basic frame with prescription lenses, changing only the lenses, buying contact lenses, or financing the necessary solutions for their maintenance for one year.

Children under five years of age need a prescription from an ophthalmology specialist. From the age of six, the indication can also be made by an optical-optometry professional in one of the participating establishments. Currently, 7,803 opticians collaborate, 74.1% of those operating in Spain, and around 13,600 professionals.

Almost half a million files in eight months

Since its launch on December 17, 2025, 454,650 files have been processed. Andalusia leads the number of applications, with 91,476, followed by Catalonia, with 74,834, and the Community of Madrid, with 64,096. When comparing the data with the population under 16 years of age, the highest access rates correspond to Galicia, Castilla y León, and Castilla-La Mancha.

The group between 12 and 16 years old accounts for 55.1% of the aid. Another 39.3% corresponds to minors between six and eleven years old, and the remaining 5.6% to children aged five or less. Girls and adolescents represent 56.3% of the processed files.

Astigmatism appears in 75% of the cases attended, while myopia is present in 53.4% and hyperopia in 42.7%. Glasses with prescription lenses have been the product chosen in nine out of ten files, far ahead of contact lenses.

Sánchez has placed the expansion within the policy of strengthening the Welfare State developed by the Government. The president recalled that the Executive estimates the increase in resources allocated since 2018 to social benefits and policies at 145,000 million euros, along with measures such as the expansion of neonatal screenings, early cancer detection programs, or the recovery of universal healthcare.

Mónica García has highlighted that visual health directly influences the learning, autonomy, and self-esteem of minors. The minister also recalled common situations in families who extend frames for years, pass glasses from one sibling to another, or wait to repair them because facing that expense is complicated.

The program's new campaign will star Manolito Gafotas, the character created by Elvira Lindo. García has resorted to that working-class family from Carabanchel to explain the everyday scope of the aid, because in many homes "100 euros cost a lot" and a child's glasses also do.