New grants of up to €1,000 for medical contact lenses

Grants of up to €1,000 towards the cost of medically required contact lenses are to be made available every two years for employees and the self-employed.

The new measures will be announced on Friday by Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys.

Previously, this support was provided every four years to workers who required contact lenses for medical reasons.

These changes, under the Department’s Treatment Benefit Scheme, reduce that period by half.

Under the scheme, grants of up to €1,000 towards the cost of a pair of medical contact lenses will be provided every two years, or €500 for each contact lens.

The Minister also announced measures that will mean people aged 25-28 will now only need to work for nine months to avail of dental, optical and aural treatments.

The scheme is available to employees, self-employed and retired people with the required PRSI contributions and to their adult dependants.