How to visit an ophthalmologist in Luxembourg in 2024

Access to ophthalmology care in Luxembourg 

In Luxembourg, both employees and the self-employed must pay social security contributions, which entitles them to health benefits for themselves and their dependents. The system's coverage includes most treatments provided by general practitioners or specialists, as well as all laboratory tests, prescriptions and hospitalizations. Ophthalmological care is no exception and is fully covered by social security.

Healthcare

Luxembourg

Guide

Healthcare system in Luxembourg

Health insurance for ophthalmology services

Unlike many European countries, Luxembourg does not have a public and a private healthcare system, most medical professionals work privately but have contracts with the Caisse Nationale de Santé (CNS) to provide state-funded services. However, some physicians and specialists only work privately.

Luxembourg residents and their children benefit from state health insurance which covers ophthalmology consultations at 80% as well as consultations with other specialists. Those who wish to go further and obtain full coverage can subscribe to private health insurance to cover the excess.

State health insurance is managed by different entities depending on the type of employer and private insurance is offered by multiple insurance companies. Below we are going to see which are the different state entities that manage state health insurance and some of the main insurance companies that provide private health insurance.

DKV Luxembourg was originally an independent insurance company that was part of the international DKV Group. The latter belonged to the insurance giant ERGO, which, in turn, was part of the Munich Re Group, one of the world's largest reinsurers and Germany's second-largest insurance group. Since 2015, however, DKV Luxembourg has been acquired by LaLux becoming a subsidiary company, although it continues to operate under the DKV Luxembourg brand.

How to get medical insurance in Luxembourg?

In Luxembourg, both employees and the self-employed are covered by the social security system. This system is based on a system of reimbursements ranging from 80% to 100%.  The system's coverage includes most treatments dispensed by general practitioners or specialists, as well as all laboratory tests, prescriptions and hospitalizations. Below we will briefly look at how the affiliation works in various circumstances:

Employed Workers

Employed workers: All persons working in Luxembourg must be registered, depending on their occupation, with the CNS, the CMFEP, the CMFEC or the EMCFL. The affiliation is made by the employer who declares the worker's activity to the Joint Social Security Center, which sends to the insured a confirmation of his affiliation to Social Security.

Self-Employed Individuals

they must register themselves with the Social Security Joint Center (CCSS) and pay contributions according to their situation. Professional income is used as the basis for calculating social security contributions. This income is made up of the profit resulting from the professional activity. Several contribution rates are applied to this base, which vary annually; in 2024, the sum of these rates is 24.2%.

Family Members

Any minor or child under 30 years of age, resident in Luxembourg and not personally affiliated, can benefit from coinsurance with the parent personally affiliated with the health insurance. For the spouse or partner (PACS) residing in Luxembourg who is not personally affiliated, the CNS provides coinsurance on request.

For more details on the different modalities of affiliation to the social security system and general information on the health care system in Luxembourg we recommend you take a look at a special summary prepared by the CNS

This system includes most treatments provided by general practitioners or specialists, as well as all laboratory tests, prescriptions, and hospitalizations.

How to get reimbursed for ophthalmology care in Luxembourg?

The Luxembourg healthcare system covers medical expenses with a percentage of coverage generally ranging from 80% to 100%. However, there are some exceptions such as medicines that have three reimbursement percentages:

• 40% for medications of moderate interest and intended for the treatment of symptoms of benign pathologies,
• 100% for medications with a specific therapeutic indication and
• 80% for all other medications.

The health care system is based on reimbursement, which means that members must pay medical expenses in advance and then submit a claim for reimbursement to the CNS. For certain types of care, however, such as hospitalization expenses, laboratory expenses or drugs, the CNS pays the portion covered by the state directly to the provider and the insured only has to pay the excess.

For expenses requiring reimbursement, two different procedures exist:

• First request or change of bank account: a specific procedure must be followed through the MyGuichet platform. This procedure involves indicating the 13-digit national identification number and a RIB number for reimbursements.
• General procedure after the first request: the originals of the invoices for fees or other advanced medical expenses, duly paid, must be submitted to the CNS and must bear the 13-digit registration number of the person who received the treatment.

It takes about two weeks for the reimbursement to be transferred to your bank account, along with the notification by mail, although the time frame can vary quite a bit, from a few days to several weeks, depending on the workload and available resources of the CNS.

Finding a good ophthalmologist in Luxembourg

Let's now take a look at how to find a good ophthalmologist in Luxembourg by reviewing the main criteria to take into account:

Location

look for an ophthalmologist close to your home or workplace and check where he works. Ophthalmologists may work in independent practices, specialized clinics or hospitals.

Credentials

Check the credentials and experience of ophthalmologists and make sure he is registered with the Ordre des Médecins de Luxembourg, the country's regulatory body for physicians. Also consider the opinions and recommendations of other patients, which can be found on online forums or medical review sites.

Availability

Some ophthalmologists in Luxembourg may have long waiting lists, if the professional you chose has a very long waiting list you can try to contact another one.

You can also go to a specialist outside Luxembourg. There are many professionals who can help you. For simple consultations with a doctor in a foreign center, clinic or hospital, you do not need a prior agreement, reimbursement is made according to Luxembourgish rates and fees. However, approval is required if the doctor uses a highly specialized medical device for the consultation, as specified in the restrictive list, or if the doctor's procedure requires the use of hospital infrastructure.

Where to look for an ophthalmologist in Luxembourg?

Searching for health professionals is not always easy, so we are going to give you a hand with this. If you don't know where to start, keep in mind that there are basically two options: either you search online or you search through contacts and acquaintances. Let's look at these two options in detail:

Online

There are multiple online platforms where you can search for ophthalmologists in Luxembourg, here are some of the most important ones.

Doctena

It is one of the main tools to find health professionals in the Grand Duchy and in several European countries. It contains detailed information on doctors in general and various specialists including ophthalmologists. Doctena can also help you find English-speaking doctors. It has a great filtering system to allow you to refine your search according to location and language.

Yellow Pages

The Yellow Pages almost need no introduction, this name refers to a directory of services of all kinds and is widely known in many countries around the world even if it is operated by different companies. There you will find the full spectrum of services that can be provided by professionals in Luxembourg including ophthalmologists and ophthalmology clinics in Luxembourg.

Editus

This website functions also like the Yellow Pages and offers contact information on services and professionals available in the Grand Duchy.

Collège Médical

This is an official medical organization that brings together medical professionals registered with the College of Physicians. Registration is mandatory for all health professionals in Luxembourg working on a temporary or permanent basis.

Offline

It is also possible to perform searches the old-fashioned way, without internet, some of the main options are:

Friends or colleagues

one of the best ways to search for doctors is to ask your acquaintances or colleagues. This has the advantage that you will be able to get additional information such as your friends' opinions about the ophthalmologists, the experience they had when consulting them and eventually the results of a specific treatment.

SLO

You can contact the Société Luxembourgeoise d'Ophtalmologie, they will probably be able to help you find the right professional.

Popular clinics in Luxembourg

In Luxembourg there are many clinics and hospitals with ophthalmology departments, here are some of the most important ones:

Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL)

The main hospital centre in the capital, comprising four major sites, three of which are grouped in Rollingergrund and the fourth in Eich. The dermatology department is located at the CHL Centre in Rollingergrund.

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Hôpitaux Robert Schuman

This group has four major centres, three in the capital: Kirchberg Hospital, Bohler Clinic, and ZithaKlinik. The fourth centre is Clinique Sainte Marie in Esch-sur-Alzette. The dermatology department is located at Kirchberg Hospital.

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Centre Ophtalmologique Monterey

This is a center dedicated exclusively to surgery for visual disorders requiring glasses or contact lenses. It was founded in 2017 by surgeons trained in France with experience in numerous operations. The Center's goal is to offer the best technology with maximum safety to ensure optimal efficiency and maximum patient satisfaction.

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Centre Ophtalmologique Place de l'Étoile

this center brings together multiple ophthalmologists from various specialties to diagnose and treat all pathologies and visual disorders. This center has the advantage of offering its services in many languages: Luxembourgish, French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and more.

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Cost of visit to ophthalmologist in Luxembourg in 2024

Although a good part of the cost of a visit to an ophthalmologist in Luxembourg is reimbursed, usually 80%, it is useful to know the cost of the most common procedures to have an idea of the non-reimbursed part that you will finally have to pay.

Let's then see in the following table the cost of visiting an ophthalmologist in Luxembourg in 2024 and some of the most common procedures. A much more exhaustive list can be found directly on the CNS website.

Health care in Luxembourg is excellent and offers a higher level of coverage than in other European countries. Although the country is small, it has numerous ophthalmology centers in the main hospitals of the country as well as multiple independent clinics. Accessing a qualified specialist is not difficult, there is a wide availability of professionals and the costs are relatively low after the reimbursements offered by Social Security. In addition, those who have private insurance will certainly not have to pay anything.