77% of Spain's Plan VEO child beneficiaries accessed aid via opticians

In Spain, 77% of minors receiving aid under the government-backed Plan VEO accessed benefits through optical establishments, according to data released around World Sight Day on October 8. The plan, supported by the Ministry of Health and the General Council of Optometrists (CGCOO), provides up to €100 for glasses or contact lenses for children under 16. To date, 507,637 applications have been processed with the involvement of 13,695 optometrists and 7,867 optical shops. Astigmatism appeared in 75% of cases, myopia in 53.3%, and hypermetropia in 42.7%; these figures reflect only Plan VEO attendees and are not general population prevalence indicators. Among myopic minors, 17.3% used progressive control solutions. CGCOO President Andrés Gené Sampedro highlighted optometrists' role as a primary access point for visual care.