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People rely on their senses, especially their vision, to do their jobs. Unfortunately, job requirements and conditions can compromise employees’ vision. Poor working conditions can lead to eye strain, which in turn can adversely affect worker productivity. As an employer, you can help your employees maintain good vision and treat vision issues through on-site improvements and resources like Vision Care Direct.
Job conditions and eye strain
From truck drivers to people on the production line to those working desk jobs at the office, vision helps people do their job safely and well. However, job conditions such as road glare and eye fatigue can negatively affect vision and job performance. Eye fatigue can result from a variety of conditions, including low light, long hours or continuous-time spent staring at computer screens.
Studies have found that more than half of employees (53%) experience tired eyes that require them to take a break during working hours. Employees also report having teary eyes, blurry vision and dry eyes, all as a result of their jobs.
Calling off of work
How does this affect worker productivity? Eye strain, if left uncorrected, can also cause headaches. And recurrent or severe headaches can force employees to take time off work to recover and rest their eyes. In fact, employers lose billions of dollars annually due to absenteeism, breaks and medical costs associated with headaches due to eye strain. With the distraction of headaches and the potential days off to recover, vision issues can cost you precious time and capable employees.
What can I do for my employees?
One of the biggest changes you can make is to encourage your employees to take breaks to rest their eyes. Getting the chance to take a few minutes to stop staring at the road, the production line or the computer screen can help avoid eye strain and headaches. While the breaks will cost a bit of time in the short-term, you can factor in that time in your plans and save yourself from dealing with prolonged absences from eye strain in the future.
Other corrections you can make include ensuring appropriate lighting (correcting lighting that is too dim or too bright), installing glare-resistant computer screens or offering Blue-Light Filters for employees’ glasses. Vision care plans are also an integral part of caring for employees’ eyes, which in turn can help employees be happier and more productive on the job.
Vision care for employees can help them be more productive
Vision care is an important part of any benefits package, both for you and your employees. For employers, vision care can help you attract potential employees and retain those already hired. For your employees, vision care can help them maintain eye health and stay productive on the job.
Vision Care Direct is a terrific option for employers to consider for their employees, especially for those most likely to be impacted by eyestrain. Vision Care Direct offers options for comprehensive eye exams so that your employees can catch and treat any burgeoning vision issues. In addition, Vision Care Direct offers standard, preloaded plans for lenses that can help reduce eye strain, such as lenses with anti-reflective and UV coatings.
Vision Care Direct also offers savings on other lenses that can help with computer-related eye strain, such as lenses with blue light protection that blocks harmful UV from electronic devices such as computer screens and mobile devices. When your employees have access to help for their vision issues, they can prevent those issues to stay productive and satisfied.
Next steps
There are many steps employers can take to help employees’ eyes and, in turn, reduce vision-related productivity issues. Correcting job conditions, promoting breaks to allow employees to rest their eyes and offering comprehensive vision care are three means of both helping employees and improving productivity. Making these small adjustments can make a big difference, for both you and your employees.
To learn more about how Vision Care Direct can help you protect your employees’ vision, contact us today.
