HomeMedical applicationsContact lenses on medical groundsPiggy-back and hybrid lens

Piggy-back and hybrid lens

A piggy-back is a combination of a soft lens placed under a hard lens. The hybrid lens is a soft lens with a hard lens in the centre.

Keratoconus

Piggy-back combination

Piggy-back is mainly used for keratoconus. If the top of the keratoconus is slightly irritated by the hard lens, a soft lens can be placed under the hard lens to counteract the irritation. This combination is called piggy-back. If the top of the keratoconus remains sensitive, there are options to fit lenses that do not make contact with the cornea but rest on the numb white of the eye, also called the sclera. Examples are the hybrid lens and the scleral lens.

Lenses that rest on the white of the eye
Scleral lenses
Afbeelding voor Hybrid lens

Hybrid lens

The hybrid lens is a further development of the piggy-back system; it is a soft lens with a hard lens in the centre. The hybrid lens has the advantage that the soft lens serves as a base, with the hard lens slightly lifted in the middle. As a result, there is no longer any contact with the keratoconus. The soft part of the lens is somewhat firmer and rests partly on the cornea and partly on the sclera. The prerequisite for this lens is that the eye should not be too dry, because this can cause irritation at the edge of the cornea.
Keratoconus lenses

Frequently asked questions

  • Contact lenses that have been fitted on medical grounds, or for which you have been referred to us by your ophthalmologist, are almost always reimbursed by your health insurer within the basic package. Your health insurer will not reimburse you for the purchase of the contact lens solution. This is sometimes also the case with services purchased from us, such as fittings and check-ups. You can take out a medical subscription with us for this. You then pay a fxied amount per month via a recurring SEPA direct debit. If you have a medical subscription with us, you no longer have to pay for the check-ups separately and you also receive a discount on the solutions.

  • When your lenses are reimbursed by your health insurer, it is important to consider the amount of your deductible. In some cases it may be more advantageous not to claim the contact lenses, for example if you have a high deductible and haven’t had many healthcare costs that year.

  • One point to take into account is the statutory personal contribution. This is a compulsory contribution mandated by the government that you must pay yourself.

    • In 2024, the personal contribution will be € 61,- per lens/per eye/per calendar year, with a maximum of € 122,-.

    The health insurers OHRA, CZ, Nationale Nederlanden, Zilveren Kruis (Achmea), FBTO, Interpolis and De Friesland settle this personal contribution with you themselves. You may therefore receive a separate invoice from them for this. If you are affiliated with another health insurer, we will collect the personal contribution from you.

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