Vision Problems Negatively Impacting Employee Performance

While most workers take steps to lessen problems due to digital eye strain and light sensitivity, there is one solution many aren’t trying: the right eyewear—though that could be due to their employer’s vision plan not covering it, according to Transitions Optical’s 10th annual “Employee Perceptions of Vision Benefits” survey.

Wakefield Research surveyed 1,300 U.S. workers on behalf of Transitions Optical and found that half of the respondents experience eye fatigue and headaches at work, symptoms of either digital eye strain or light sensitivity, or both. More than one in three workers have dry eyes and blurred vision or other vision-related symptoms.

Digital eye strain is common for a majority of workers (6 in 10). Light sensitivity is also experienced by more than half (54 percent)—and most of those say that it negatively impacts their ability to do their job on a regular basis. The younger generations are especially prone to these problems, with one in five millennials saying they experience digital eye strain “all the time” at work and the same proportion of millennials, together with Gen Zers, who say the same about light sensitivity.

“Addressing digital eye strain and light sensitivity in the workplace is becoming more important than ever for today’s employers—especially with research revealing that 44 percent of employees are more concerned about light sensitivity than they have been in previous years,” says Drew Smith, director, North America channels, Transitions Optical.

How, specifically, do light sensitivity and digital eye strain impede a person’s work? Four in 10 of all respondents say they are less productive than they could be; 3 in 10 say they are unable to focus; and a third take more breaks throughout the day.

Most workers say they try to do something about the problem, including dimming the brightness on their screen, limiting their screen time, and dimming lights in their workplace, according to the survey. However, most aren’t wearing the right eyewear. Just one in five workers wears lenses with anti-reflective or no-glare coatings, 1 in 10 wear photochromic or adaptive lenses, and 1 in 10 wear lenses with a blue light filter.

“There are very simple steps employers can take to address these issues—with the most important one being to offer a vision benefits plan that covers eyewear options to alleviate these common visual problems, followed closely by ongoing education about the importance of sight-enhancing eyeglass lens options,” Smith says.

Employers that offer premium lens options can possibly win over more talent, as 94 percent of the survey respondents say premium lens options are important to them. They would particularly like to have scratch-resistant lenses (73 percent of respondents), anti-reflective or no-glare coatings (71 percent), photochromic lenses (43 percent), and blue light protection (35 percent).’

From: BenefitsPro