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Truck drivers rely on their eyes to do their jobs. However, their eyes are under constant stress due to the nature of their duties. Poor vision, whether it’s temporary eyestrain or a long-term disorder, can be a major safety hazard for truckers and those on the road around them. This is why vision care for truck drivers is a high priority.
What might be a minor accident in a car can turn into a major crash if a truck is involved. Therefore, it’s imperative (and a legal requirement) for you as an employer to ensure your truckers have good vision coverage.
Truckers and eyestrain
Truck drivers cannot have inhibitors that block their mirrors or their physical ability to see the road around them. With the many hours they spend on the road, in all sorts of conditions, truckers are in a unique position to develop eyestrain and other vision problems.
More specifically, older truck drivers may develop issues with night driving. Drivers of all ages can have problems with glare due to bright sunshine on the road or on snow. Regular unprotected exposure to the UV rays of sunlight can also cause long-term eye disorders, such as macular degeneration. Because of these unique challenges, your truck drivers may require special glasses in order to safely operate their vehicles.
Legal requirements
Impaired vision can pose such a major safety hazard for truckers and other drivers. This is why truckers with commercial drivers’ licenses are required to get eye examinations every two years. As an employer, here are a few key points to remember:
- Your drivers must have 20/20 to 20/40 vision in both eyes and in each eye alone in order to operate a truck or other commercial vehicle.
- People with vision worse than 20/40 can pass the exam if their vision improves to 20/40 with prescription lenses or laser eye surgery.
- A federal exemption is also available if your driver can pass other vision tests even without 20/40 vision in both eyes.
For conditions such as age-related vision issues (presbyopia) that can worsen with age, more frequent eye exams may be necessary. Fortunately, you have options to provide great vision care for truck drivers.
Help maintain good vision care for your truck drivers
You can take a number of steps to ensure that your truck drivers have good enough vision to drive safely. First and foremost, they should get regular comprehensive eye examinations.
Vision Care Direct offers plans for eye exams that can detect any vision issues that may make it unsafe or illegal to drive. If any such vision problems do arise, Vision Care Direct also offers savings on prescription eyewear.
What’s more, we offer standard features that can help to correct vision and protect your drivers’ eyes. For example, UV protection and no-line progressive lenses (for truckers who need bifocals and who want a gradual transition in refraction).
Because we are owned by doctors, our goal is to support eye health at a price anyone can afford. In fact, with our pre-paid plans, truck drivers may be able to buy two or more pairs of glasses for the cost of one pair. This can help truckers who need prescription sunglasses as well as eyeglasses.
To learn more about how we can help you provide good vision care for truck drivers, contact us today.
