Under the visual display unit (VDU) scheme, all civil servants who use a monitor or screen as part of their work can avail of regular eye tests and claim monetary relief against the cost. This scheme was introduced as part of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations, as laid out in circulars 3/1994 and 16/1999.
Employees are entitled to an eye test every five years, and officers over the age of 40 years are entitled to an eye test every two years. Please note, optical coherence tomography (OCT) exams are not covered by the VDU scheme.
The NSSO can arrange a refund for the eye test with either the optician or directly to staff up to a maximum of €22.51 under the qualifying guidelines as outlined above. Please note if you have already claimed for your eye test on PRSI, you are not eligible for a further refund for the eye test under the VDU scheme.
If your optician certifies that you need corrective lenses when using a VDU, then you may receive a refund of up to €69 towards the cost of those lenses.
or
If your optician prescribes special corrective lenses with bifocals/varifocals, you may qualify to receive a refund of up to €115 towards the cost of these lenses.
To submit an application, you can download the VDU application form from your personal HR self-service page under Employee Schemes/VDU Eye Exam.
If you are a remote worker with no access to the HR self-service page, please email VDUscheme@nsso.gov.ie to request the VDU application form.
Complete page 1 and bring page 2 to your optician for them to complete and sign. Please ensure that the relevant original optician’s receipt is attached to your VDU application form. Post your original optician's receipt alongside page 1 and page 2 of the completed VDU application form to:
Employee Schemes Team
HR Services (NSSO)
Block 5 Belfield Office Park
Beech Hill Road
Clonskeagh
Dublin 4
D04 A9P2
Once your application is received, HR Services in the NSSO will raise a case for you. You will receive an automatic email advising you of your unique case number. Should you need to contact Employee Schemes please do so by emailing VDUscheme@nsso.gov.ie quoting your unique case number.
