The subdelegate of the Government in Ourense, Eladio Santos, highlighted in Celanova the commitment of the Government of Spain with the visual health of children with the VEO Plan, which already exceeds 1,100 beneficiaries in the province. He did so during a visit to the Anteollos Optics, in Celanova, where its managers, Rubén Santalices and Catuxa Rivas, confirmed the success of this aid program of the Ministry of Health.
The subdelegate explained that the VEO Plan seeks to finance the acquisition of visual aid systems up to 100 euros per year and is aimed at all persons under 16 years of age. “The government is once again putting itself on the side of families with the financing of an essential expense that represents an economic effort for many people,” he said.
Eladio Santos specified that more than 1,100 applicants for visual solutions were registered in Ourense so far, with 51 optics adhered to the VELO Plan in the province. In addition, Galicia is the autonomous community with the highest rate of access to the program throughout Spain, with 271 applicants for every 10,000 children under 16 years of age, that is, more than 9.5000 Galician boys and girls have already benefited from this aid.
The subdelegate encouraged the Ourense families to then benefit from this line of public aid, which is endowed with a budget of 48 million euros. They can apply for them in provincial opticians until December 31, 2026. “This plan also aims to encourage purchases in physical optics in towns and cities, once again helping local commerce,” he said.
During the visit, Eladio Santos thanked the Anteollos Optics and its managers, Rubén Santalices la Catuxa Rivas, for their involvement in the program and their contribution to the dissemination of the initiative.
Plan VEO
The Ministry of Health carries out the implementation of the VEO Plan in collaboration with the General Council of Schools of Opticians and Optometrists. In Galicia there are 564 participating opticians, out of a total of 7,464 in all of Spain.
The request for assistance is made only in person at a participating optics establishment. The aid contemplates a maximum of 100 euros per child and year. If the optical product costs less than 100 euros, the VEO Plan charges the total amount. If you exceed that amount, the family pays only the difference. The products included are the complete mount or only the graduated crystals with anti-reflective treatment and lenses, together with the liquid solution. Optical healthcare establishments can participate through the web application of the VEO Plan. The holder of the optical health establishment will be the person in charge of loading in the web application the required documentation and of bringing together the information requested, both that related to the establishment and to the optical professionals who provide their services in the said establishment.