Glasses Reimbursement in Québec: RAMQ, Insurance and Taxes

In Québec, RAMQ reimburses glasses or contact lenses only for children under 18: the See Better to Succeed program (Mieux voir pour réussir) pays a fixed $300, at most once every 24 months. For adults, the public plan does not cover glasses; private insurance and the medical expense tax credit can help.

Who reimburses glasses in Québec?

It depends on age and on your insurance. The Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) writes that buying prescription glasses or contact lenses is not covered by the public plan, with one exception for children: the See Better to Succeed financial assistance program.

Beyond that, two other sources can lower the bill: your group or private insurance, depending on your plan, and the medical expense tax credit, since the Canada Revenue Agency accepts prescription glasses and contact lenses.

How much does RAMQ pay back for a child's glasses?

RAMQ pays $300 for the purchase of glasses or contact lenses that correct the vision of a child under 18. The amount is fixed: it does not change with the price paid or with the number of pairs or contact lenses bought.

If the glasses cost less than $300, the amount stays the same; if they cost more, the difference is yours to pay, unless your insurance covers it.

Who qualifies for See Better to Succeed?

Any child who meets three conditions: being under 18 on the date of purchase, which is the order date, having a valid health insurance card, and having received a prescription for corrective glasses or contact lenses during an eye exam by an authorized optometrist or ophthalmologist.

RAMQ states that every parent who buys glasses or contact lenses for their child is entitled to this amount, even if the family has private insurance. A screening at school is not enough: according to RAMQ, only the complete exam opens the program.

Which purchases qualify?

Complete glasses, new lenses only (keeping the frame), a new frame only (keeping the lenses) or contact lenses. The purchase must be made from a Québec optician or optometrist, in store or online.

The rule matters if you plan to order from a website in another country or province: glasses bought outside Québec are excluded. Our article on online glasses or an optician compares the two ways of buying.

What does the program not reimburse?

RAMQ excludes glasses and contact lenses bought outside Québec, used ones, and ones bought without a prescription or without correction, such as sunglasses. It also excludes reading glasses and magnifiers sold without a prescription in drugstores or other stores, glasses designed for a sport or leisure activity, such as swimming or skiing, and glasses that protect from the blue light of screens.

Repairs do not qualify either. To know when ready-made reading glasses are enough for an adult, see our article on drugstore reading glasses.

What are the time limits?

You have 12 months after the order date to apply. For the same child, a new reimbursement is possible 24 months after the order date of the last reimbursed purchase: if glasses ordered on October 1, 2026 were reimbursed, the next eligible purchase can be made from October 1, 2028, RAMQ explains.

The refund arrives within 3 weeks of sending the application at the latest. Allow more time for an application by mail or over the holidays, from mid-December.

How do you apply for the refund?

Online in Carnet santé Québec for a direct deposit, or with the RAMQ form to receive a cheque. For Carnet santé Québec, you need an account with the government authentication service, which you can create when you apply.

Some situations require an application by mail, with a copy of the prescription and of the invoice: when the child is not yours, when the child is in foster care under the responsibility of the DPJ (youth protection), or when the child has a health insurance card and the parent does not. The glasses must already be bought before you apply.

What must the invoice show?

The type of purchase (glasses or contact lenses), the total amount, the date of purchase, meaning the order date, and the merchant's QST number: 10 digits, the letters TQ and 4 digits. If that number is not on your invoice, RAMQ asks you to get it from the optician or optometrist.

For an application by mail, the invoice must also describe the glasses and their price, and give the child's name and the merchant's name and address.

Which documents should you keep, and for how long?

Keep a copy of the prescription and of the invoice for 5 years. RAMQ may ask for them during a check and recover the amount if the application did not comply.

If your insurer pays part of the rest, it may ask for proof of the RAMQ refund. RAMQ advises keeping one of these documents for at least 2 years: the statement attached to the cheque, the confirmation page of the online application or the confirmation email.

Does RAMQ reimburse glasses for adults and people 65 and over?

No. Buying glasses or contact lenses is not covered by the public plan for adults, including after 65. What RAMQ covers for people 65 and over is the eye exam with an optometrist who participates in the plan, once per calendar year.

For every insured person, whatever their age, RAMQ also covers the urgent exam by an optometrist for a sudden eye problem, such as conjunctivitis, an inflamed eyelid or a foreign body on the surface of the eye. Some services linked to that exam can still be charged.

What does RAMQ cover at the eye exam?

For people under 18 and 65 and over, RAMQ covers one complete exam per calendar year with an optometrist who participates in the plan. Writing and handing over the glasses or contact lens prescription after the exam is part of the covered services. Some other situations, linked to certain financial assistance programs, are covered too.

At PrimeVision, children's exams are done from age 4. Our eye exam coverage page explains what is covered, and to book, see our eye exams in Montréal page: book online, the times shown are the open ones.

Can my insurance pay the difference?

Maybe: RAMQ suggests parents ask their insurer whether it reimburses the difference between the $300 and the price paid. Each plan has its own rules on the amount, how often and which purchases qualify, so read yours before ordering.

RAMQ also notes that Québec's ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MESS) may, under certain conditions, reimburse the part of the cost above the amount granted, and offer special benefits for a repair or a replacement between two applications. Check with the MESS.

Can you claim glasses on your taxes?

Yes, federally, in some cases. The Canada Revenue Agency accepts glasses, contact lenses and prescription swimming goggles as medical expenses, with a prescription. You can claim only the part that has not been and will not be reimbursed, for example by RAMQ or an insurer.

The credit applies to expenses paid in a 12-month period ending in the tax year, and only above a threshold: the lesser of 3% of your net income and an amount set each year. The Québec return has its own rules: check them with Revenu Québec.

In what order should you do things?

The eye exam first, then the purchase with the prescription, then the claim. For a child, book a complete exam, keep the prescription, buy the glasses or contact lenses from a Québec optician or optometrist, ask for a complete invoice, then apply to RAMQ within 12 months.

RAMQ recommends a complete exam by an optometrist before school starts. Our article on glasses for kids helps choose a frame that stays on.

Glasses reimbursement in Montréal: how does it work at PrimeVision?

At PrimeVision, 9520 Boulevard de l'Acadie, Suite 222, in Montréal (Ahuntsic), optometrists and a licensed optician work under one roof. Children's eye exams are done there from age 4. The licensed optician, Michel Geha, O.O.D., makes the glasses from the prescription, among more than 4,000 frames in store across a wide range of prices. RAMQ covers eye exams for children under 18 and adults 65+.

Since PrimeVision is an optician in Québec, prescription glasses or contact lenses bought from us for a child under 18 are among the purchases that qualify for the program, if RAMQ's other conditions are met. You make the application to RAMQ yourself, with the invoice. To see our frames and lenses, visit our page on prescription glasses in Montréal.

When should you book?

Before school starts for a child, when your prescription is old, and before buying new glasses, so the purchase is made with an up-to-date prescription.

Sources

• Eyeglasses and contact lenses for children, Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, accessed November 3, 2026.
• Is the purchase of eyeglasses or contact lenses covered by health insurance?, Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, accessed November 3, 2026.
• Optometric services, Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, accessed November 3, 2026.
• Lines 33099 and 33199: Eligible medical expenses, Canada Revenue Agency, accessed November 3, 2026.
• Details of medical expenses (vision devices), Canada Revenue Agency, accessed November 3, 2026.