How can I have a BIR certificate of Tax Exemption?

Free contact lenses with Tax Credit Exemption Certificate - how to claim?

• I have recently visited an optician in order to have my eyesight tested & to get some contact lenses. Instead, they suggested me to get glasses, which is good because I used to wear contact lenses all the time, even at home, which is obviously not healthy. But I still need lenses! The optician told me that they would need to do another eye test in order to decide what lenses are right for me and I would have to pay for it. Which is worse they told me they are not sure whether or not I will have to pay for the lenses - and they don't even have the only ones I'm comfortable with on sale! So the question is - how do I claim the contact lenses which are supposed to be free as I have a certificate that is supposed to cover the cost completely? And can I get the ones I am used to wearing or is there some sort of list of free lenses I will have to choose from? Could I, for instance, buy the lenses on the website and then get some help towards their cost with the proof of purchase? And how does the system works in general - do I have to pay for them, get the proof of purchase and then send it to NHS in order to get some money back or will I instantly get them free of charge? Thanks in advance.

• Answer:

  As the other answer said, you get a voucher towards the costs and you don't get both. if you want both, then you get one subsidised and one you pay yourself. So for example: I go for my tests and am put into a price band of what they will cover. They cover the test and BASIC NHS glasses plus lenses. However I need my lenses thinned and put into my own frames I have. I pay for that. The NHS covers the basics. So you will have to choose which you prefer, contacts or glasses. Not both unless you pay for them. The way these vouchers work, is that everything is NOT free. It is free up until a point. Otherwise you would get people choosing designer glasses and flashy lenses. You get a voucher to cover up to a point, and then you pay the rest. Whichever way you want to do that, is up to you. I suggest get the glasses, and pay for contacts later on. When you want to claim your voucher, you need to show the opticians proof of your exemption or proof of the benefit you get. They do the rest.