Managing a prescription safety eyewear program can prove challenging to safety managers whether their workforce is large or small. It’s a complicated and time-intensive process, involving workforce assessment, HR benefits, billing and accounting, scheduling, eye care professionals and individualized eyewear. For this reason, many companies elect not to offer Rx safety eyewear. However, considering the aging workforce, combined with the dangers and cost that uncorrected vision problems pose, there has never been a more important time to implement an Rx safety eyewear program.
According to The Vision Council, 70 percent of workers require vision correction, and that number is climbing due to the rise of Baby Boomers in the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 90 percent of all growth in the U.S. labor force from 2006 to 2016 will be workers aged 55 and older. Born between 1946 and 1964, the Baby Boomer population is now reaching the age when it is common to experience reduced visual capacity. Yet, vision loss often occurs so gradually that even the affected individual doesn’t notice it happening.