Opticians (Optiker)
Opticians are not a part of the national public health system so most costs are paid by the individual. If your sight problems are severe or related to other medical issues, it is worth consulting your doctor first to see if he can refer you to an eye hospital.

For standard sight problems, just visit an optician (or several to compare prices) and make an appointment for an eye test. Once you have had the test, the optician should provide you with a prescription which means you can then shop around for your contact lenses or glasses – there is no obligation to buy them from the shop you had the sight test done at and more and more people are buying glasses and lenses on-line.

Children and Sight Problems

Opticians are not legally able to treat anyone under the age of 8 years, a general rule when it comes to the medical profession and children. So if you think your child has sight problems you family doctor, or the school nurse, will send a referral to an optician who will then book you in for an appointment.

If you get an appointment to take your child to an optician you might find the waiting times extremely frustrating, to say the least. A wait of 6 months is not unheard of, resulting in many parents visiting an optician while "at home" on holidays. If you do decide to do the same then it is might be worth keeping the appointment here in Sweden for a second opinion. If that is not an issue then pursue the matter, ring again and again to see if there have been any cancellations or if you can be put on a waiting list for cancellations.

Once you have an appointment check with the optician what the local benefits are, the municipalities have different guidelines in terms of how much they will contribute to children's glasses, if at all.