Why employers should offer vision benefits

Posted on April 21, 2022 in Vision Health

Maintaining healthy vision is an important aspect of our overall health. Without clear sight, daily activities can be a challenge at work and at home. Not being able to see can negatively impact your quality of life and cause increased headaches, eye pain, and eyestrain.

Providing employees an option for vision insurance gives them the peace of mind to have vision issues addressed as they arise and maintain good eye health by utilizing benefits for annual preventive visits.

Common vision benefits help cover the cost of:

• Preventive eye exams
• Glasses and/or contacts
• Medical treatment for infections or scratches
• Surgery for eye injuries

Encouraging the overall health of your employees goes a long way to keeping them happy and productive at work.

Employees want vision insurance

Including vision insurance in your suite of employee benefits is a differentiator for employees, and something many will seek out. In a recent survey, 40 percent of employers said employees left their jobs in search of better benefits. The value of a comprehensive benefits package carries more weight than salary for some employees.

According to a survey, offering vision insurance increases employee retention rates by 87 percent. Being able to retain and recruit talent is key to the long-term success of any business.

How vision insurance helps employers save money

Providing vision benefits saves the employee money on vision care, but did you know it also saves the employer money? With digital eye strain at an all-time high, providing employer vision coverage is essential to maintaining a healthy workforce.

Companies save money annually per employee when they offer supplemental vision benefits because healthy eyes lead to greater productivity among workers. Employees who continue to work with uncorrected vision issues are more likely to experience headaches, which can lead to absenteeism, lost productivity, and potential errors.

Screen time factors

Do your employees spend a large amount of time looking at screens throughout the day? Prolonged screen time can cause eye damage due to blue light exposure. Most jobs, more than 80 percent today, include long timespans staring at a computer.

If employees find themselves developing headaches, eye strain, or poor sleep habits due to large amounts of screen time, here are a few ways they can protect their eyes throughout the day:

• Blue light-blocking glasses can be purchased to protect eyes when using screens.
• Take regular breaks throughout the day and limit screen time.
• Use the 20-20-20 Rule – take a break every 20 minutes for 20 seconds to look at something 20 feet away.

Healthy employees make a healthy workplace

Offering employer vision benefits can be instrumental when it comes to maintaining a high-quality workforce. Having healthy employees translates to having a healthy company. So, keeping your employees’ vision care needs top-of-mind is a must.

With our DeltaVision® plans, businesses of any size can offer employees vision insurance at an affordable rate.

Looking for more information on vision coverage? Check out this blog to learn more.