Tag: vision insurance

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Keep on Top of Your Employees’ Eye Health

eye health

The importance of good eye health is often underappreciated in the working environment. Many conditions or diseases of the eye — such as cataracts, disorders affecting the retina, dry eyes and uncorrected refractive conditions — can have a substantial impact on employee productivity and well-being. Fortunately, there is much that employers can do to maintain an eye-friendly working environment and promote eye health among their employees.eye health

Most problems with the eyes occur gradually over time — so gradually, in fact, that people may not even attribute their problems to failing vision. Cataracts are a good example of this. The leading cause of vision loss for people over the age of 40, cataracts occur when the lens of the eye, normally clear, very gradually starts to become cloudy. Another condition associated with aging is presbyopia, which also develops slowly as the lens of the eye becomes thicker and less flexible, losing its ability to focus light onto the retina. The retina itself can break down over time, such as with a condition known as age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. AMD is another leading cause of blindness in older people.

Dry eye disease can also affect work performance. This occurs when there are not enough quality tears to properly lubricate the eye. As a result, eyes can become itchy, painful and irritated. Vision may become blurry or eyes may water excessively. Left untreated, dry eye disease can lead to damage of the cornea.

The effect of conditions such as these on work performance can be subtle at first. Employees may experience difficulty seeing and reading in reduced lighting. Driving in poorly lit areas can become increasingly challenging. They may find themselves unable to look at computer screens, read documents or do close work for as long as they used to without experiencing problems such as headaches or eyestrain. Glare from sunlight, overhead lighting or headlights may bother them more than before. The added effort and strain can make them feel sleepy or irritable.

Also read: Vision is the Must-Have Benefit for 2019

Certain work environments can contribute to the development of eye disease. For instance, exposure to blue light from the screens of electronic devices or from prolonged exposure to sunlight from working outdoors without proper eye protection can contribute to the development of cataracts or AMD. Environments with diminished ambient humidity or prolonged computer use can contribute to symptoms of dry eyes. Overhead lighting or indirect sunlight shining on the work surface can also cause symptoms of dry eyes or eyestrain.

When doing their jobs, or simply being on the job site, causes increasing discomfort, employees may avoid work, or take more and longer breaks. They may not even realize their discomfort is due to eye issues. Many may attribute these changes to other health problems, such as depression or poor sleep, or they may chalk it up to losing interest in their work or simply getting older. If these issues are left unchecked for long enough, failing vision can lead to serious workplace accidents and permanent damage to the eyes may occur.

Addressing environmental contributors to eye disease and discomfort can help minimize the eye problems that affect work performance. Ensure that indoor air is clean and properly humidified. Evaluate lighting and determine what changes can be made to minimize glare on surfaces. Computers and other light-emitting screens can be fitted with filters that block blue light. Employees who work outdoors should be provided with proper eye protection, such as sunglasses that effectively block UV radiation.

But the most effective way of maintaining good eye health is by encouraging employees to undergo a comprehensive annual eye exam. This will identify problems early so that employees maintain a high level of job performance, the risk of accidents due to vision impairment is reduced, and eye conditions are treated promptly, possibly staving off permanent vision loss. An annual comprehensive eye examination may also catch conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, hypertension and vascular problems that can impact both eye and overall health long before the condition causes a vision symptom. People are three times more likely to get an annual eye exam than an annual physical, making the eye exam an even more important touchpoint between employees and preventive health care.

To encourage employees to undergo an annual eye exam, make sure that vision care coverage is included in their health benefits package. It can also be helpful to hold eye health awareness seminars or other events to teach employees about the importance of taking care of their eyes.

 

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Vision: The Must-Have Benefit for 2019

Vision care benefits

Vision care benefits have become a mainstay of the employer benefits package.

“Virtually all companies now offer vision,” said Peter DeBellis, head of the total rewards practice for Bersin by Deloitte in Washington, D.C. “It is table stakes, especially for companies of a certain scale.”

Vision care is listed as one of the 10 essential benefits included in the Affordable Care Act, and employees have come to expect it as part of the core employee benefits package. “Health, dental and vision are the benefits triad,” DeBellis said. These programs have a very high rate of participation, which further reinforces the value they bring to employees.

This category of benefits has evolved in recent years in the care options offered and the way these treatments are accessed and paid for. Telemedicine, for example, is a new trend in the vision benefits space, noted Paul Piechnik, senior vice president of group benefits for MetLife. A growing number of organizations now offer basic examinations to check visual acuity and the need for eyewear via do-it-yourself applications or through a physician-led online virtual exam.

“Some are even offering virtual walk-in exams with an optometrist to mirror the same comprehensive examination steps one would encounter at a standard brick-and-mortar optometrist’s office,” he said. The interest in telemedicine is being driven by the digital generation, who prefer self-service for everything, as well as addressing the needs of remote workers. “Telemedicine is just emerging for routine vision care, though it’s too soon to say whether this will become a vision care standard in the future.”

Preventive care

Companies are also offering a broader array of treatment options, including laser surgery, blue light protection on lenses to reduce the impact of light emitted from digital devices, and proactive vision exams to identify risks for glaucoma, hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol. This last benefit is viewed as a useful preventive care intervention, particularly in an aging workforce. “Vision has a role to play in a lot of chronic health conditions,” DeBellis said. Encouraging employees to have vision exams can help them identify bigger health care risks so they can get prompt treatment.

Vision care benefits

Piechnik suggested that companies offer sunglasses coverage as part of their vision plan as a way to get more employees to take advantage of these wellness visits. MetLife, for example, has a SunCare rider as part of its vision care benefits that allows members who don’t need corrective eyewear to use their frame allowance for non-prescription eyewear. “This encourages them to get their routine ‘wellness’ vision examination and spot those early issues that can become costly medical expenses for the member and employer alike.”

Also read the 2018 Sector Report: The Bright Shine of Dental Benefits 

Also read the 2017 Sector Report: Rising Health Care Costs 

Vision Comes at a Price

The other steady trend in vision care is who’s footing the bill. The rising cost of offering any health care benefits has pushed employers away from supporting fully employer-paid vision care to cost-sharing programs, or providing vision as a fully employee-paid/voluntary benefit. Piechnik said this hasn’t caused outrage among cost conscious workers.

“Employees for the most part see the value in nonmedical benefits such as vision care, so are willing to pick up some or all of the cost of these benefits.”

Regardless of the payment structure, benefits administrators should look for a comprehensive plan that provides annual vision examinations and eyewear benefit levels that employees value.

“With many employers offering vision on a voluntary basis there is no reason not to offer this benefit,” Piechnik said. “It’s a key product for creating a benefits package that truly increases employee satisfaction and loyalty.”

Once the program is in place, benefits administrators should educate employees about what the program covers, and the value of getting annual exams and keeping their glasses up to date. “It’s not just about getting a new pair of readers,” DeBellis added. When employees take care of their vision they are healthier and more productive, which benefits everyone.