The 2023 benefits landscape: Don’t skip on vision

Ever since individual employee needs started changing dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a fluctuating job market, and rising inflation, employers have had to cater to employee needs like never before. Many companies have taken action to address these newfound expectations through enhancing their benefits offerings by adding more features to existing plans or by offering entirely new benefits going into 2023.

And while the amount of companies that offer vision care in particular have steadily increased over the last couple of years, they continue to go underutilized by millions of employees. Let’s be clear: It’s not because people don’t need vision care. It’s because most vision care is still inconvenient, costly, and complicated. Per the CDC, around 93 million adults in the United States (about 25% of the population) are at high risk for serious vision loss, but despite this, only about half of those at high risk have visited an eye doctor in the past year.

So what do we do about that?

We educate, and we make the experience better for employees. A good reminder for HR professionals is to put themselves in the mindset of the consumer and look into consumer centric platforms that leverage AI to reduce friction and costs.

A deeper dive into skipping vision care

Though most employers (over 90%) actually offer vision insurance, many people skip routine eye exams and other vision care because of the lack of education around their importance and the high costs. Because of this, vision care has become a benefit that is “nice to have” in the minds of employees rather than the necessity it should be. The average out-of-pocket cost for an annual eye exam can be up to $230, which is inaccessible for many employees. If they have an eye condition that requires regular checkups, they will spend significantly more than that in a year.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll in June of this year, 25% of adults delayed or went without any vision care due to the cost. A survey by the American Optometric Association (AOA) also reveals one-third of Americans don’t know how to take care of their eyes and only 54% get an annual comprehensive eye exam.

What do all of these startling statistics mean? A big opportunity for HR managers to fill the health care gap.

Vision care and its relationship to overall health

Companies have increased the amount and quality of their benefits packages to keep their employees healthy, and vision care has been (and should continue to be) a priority. But in order for employees to better access their offerings, HR managers should educate their employees on the importance of vision care and its connection to overall health and wellness.

Preventative treatment is critical to help uncover chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, in addition to preventing common eye diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts, from causing permanent vision loss or blindness. Beyond physical health outcomes, those who have vision impairments often develop mental health problems, with 1 in 4 adults who lose their vision also report experiencing anxiety and depression.

Vision care should be a priority even for those with 20/20 vision. The rise of remote work and an increase of jobs that require employees to sit in front of a computer to work for a majority of their day should translate into more and more folks using blue light or computer glasses. No matter the state of your vision, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a complete eye exam to check for eye disease and vision problems and the frequency of these exams depend on age:

• Every 5 to 10 years for people younger than 40.
• Every 2 to 4 years for people between age 40 to 54.
• Every 1 to 3 years for people between age 55 to 64.
• Every 1 to 2 years for people 65 or older.

Obviously, vision care should be a part of any comprehensive benefits package. To go a little deeper, vision care should be seen as preventive care, as these benefits can help improve both eye health and overall health which in turn produces positive outcomes for employer health strategies and effectiveness of vision care benefits. By providing vision care and emphasizing its importance to employees, HR professionals and benefits providers can help employees save money on medical claim costs. This is crucial as workers are dealing with a volatile economy and an ever-changing health benefits landscape

Education and a better benefits experience is key

Vision care is too often an afterthought, but the reality is that it represents a significant opportunity for benefits advisors and HR professionals to educate, offer affordable options, and ultimately, show how much they care about their employees. Though there is no shortage of employers, HR professionals, and benefits advisors offering vision care as a benefit, there is always room for growth when it comes to providing their employees with the best options possible.

Related: As workers expect more, employers need to rethink benefits strategy

With an increase in remote work causing many employees to look at a screen all day, it is important that employers prioritize consumer-centric vision care benefits, educate themselves and their employees, and increase accessibility to vision care through informed decisions.