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Employee Preference/Attraction and Attention

Offering employees vision benefit options can help increase attraction and retention.

Plus, encouraging employees to sign up for and use a vision plan allows them to become more savvy health consumers.

Did you know that employees already recognize vision coverage as an important part of their overall health care package?

• More than 8 out of 10 consumers want vision coverage as part benefits package, even though only 6 out of 10 need vision correction (Jobson).
• Research shows that consumers in new account-based medical plans are becoming more willing to spend money in the present to avoid adverse health effects in the future.

Different groups within an employer's work force within your work force may have unique vision needs? Offering a comprehensive vision benefit that meets the needs of older workers, parents, women and certain ethnicities can help you stand out to potential hires and keep current workers healthy and satisfied with their benefits package

Older Workers

Today's work force is continuing to get older...which means that comprehensive health benefits will be critical in helping you retain this highly experienced sector of your employee base. Consider that:

• By 2010, the number of workers aged 45-54 will increase by more than 20 percent, and the number of workers aged 55-65 will more than double.
• Retiree medical coverage is receding, forcing employees to continue working longer to maintain their valuable health benefits.
• Since eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration become more common with age, quality vision care and vision wear options will be even more important for these workers.
• As the eye ages, the lens lets less light through, which makes lens options that reduce reflections and glare especially important.
• Older workers will also value a vision plan that covers "no line" progressive lenses, to help them focus on objects at various distances without the "older" appearance of bifocals and trifocals. Check out the newsletter on progressive lenses in the Vision Education Kit.
• Since Medicare may subsidize some medical benefits, older employees may be even more interested in ancillary benefits, such as vision.

Parents

Employees with children will apreciate a vision benefit that helps to protect their kids' healthy sight.

Consider that:

• Seventy percent of learning occurs throught he eyes, so overall eye health is critical for a child's development
• Eye exams can help detect diabetes in its earlier stages, and regular eye care can help manage related eye diseases.
• Today, nearly 1 out of every 3 kids in the United States is overweight or at risk for becoming overweight – greatly contributing to diabetes becoming one of the most common chronic diseases among school-aged children. Learn about the impact of diabetes on the eyes here, and watch a video on the impact of diabetes on children's eye health.
• Kids get three times more sun exposure than adults, and are more active, so impact-resistant eyewear that blocks UV and glare is especially important to protect their eyes.

For more details, check out the newsletter on kids in the Vision Education Kit.

Ethnicities

Several ethnicities are more likely to experience vision problems or suffer from medical conditions that can impact vision. It is especially important for them to receive regular eye care and protect their eyes from damaging factors such as ultraviolet light. Consider that:

• Hispanics have a greater risk of developing cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration.
• They are twice as likely as whites to develop diabetes, and are also more prone to hypertension.
• Hispanics are the least likely to have their eyes examined regularly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• African-Americans are twice as likely as whites to develop diabetes, up to eight times more likely if they have preexisting hypertension.
• They are five times more likely than whites to develop glaucoma.
• 1 in 4 has not visited an eyecare professional in the last two years.
• Asian Americans are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than the general population.
• Since Asian Americans are less likely to be obese, doctors are often late in diagnosing them as diabetic — reinforcing the importance of the eye exam for early detection.
• Because of the narrow shape of their eyes, Asian Americans are more likely to develop angle-closure glaucoma, which is caused by a rapid or sudden increase in pressure inside the eye.

For more information, check out the e-newsletter on Hispanic eye health needs, and watch these videos to learn more about the eye health needs of Hispanic Americans, African-Americans and Asian-Americans.

Women

Women are more likely than men to suffer from eye-related diseases and certain conditions that can affect the eyes, including:

• Cataract, glaucoma,and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Other eye health factors to consider for women include:

• Women are more likely to report trouble seeing at night, eyestrain, light sensitivity and dry eye.
• They are also more likely than men to take prescription and non-prescription medications, many of which can seriously impact vision.
• Women who are pregnant may experience changes in lens prescription, worsening of diabetic retinopathy, and blindness in rare cases.
• Women who have experienced gestational diabetes have a 40-60 percent chance of developing diabetes in the next five to 10 years (CDC). Eye exams can help detect diabetes and related eye diseases.

For more details, check out the e-newsletter on women and eye health.