Modern employee benefits feature a large variety of choices that cater to different health needs. Many employees prefer using health insurance. Another benefit they consider is dental and life insurance. Unfortunately, vision takes the backseat and isn’t considered important enough by many employees.
Vision problems are widespread in the United States, and many people are diagnosed with a range of symptoms— from blurred vision to complete blindness. Other eye diseases include cataracts, open-angle glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. A large percentage of people in the U.S are estimated to have serious difficulty in seeing, even when they’re supplementing their vision with glasses.
These statistics prove that vision benefits are more beneficial than we normally give them credit for. Don’t think of them as a free pass for eye exams. Here are 5 reasons why you should have vision insurance.
Regular Vision Checkup
Any regular health insurance program will encourage people to make a doctor’s appointment more frequently. In much the same way, vision insurance also promotes good health. More people will be undergoing a regular eye exam. This will help doctors identify any problems early on. As the old adage goes, prevention is better than cure. Early stages of potentially debilitating eye diseases can also be exposed. These include glaucoma, age related macular degeneration, and cataracts.
Improves Health
Eye exams also end up detecting other serious medical problems that your body could be undergoing. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Some of these illnesses manifest as a symptom of an eye disease, making it easier to detect them. One thing leads to another, and you become alerted to potential problems that could be prevented. Knowing about the disease in its early stage helps to reduce medical treatment costs for both employees and employers.
Saves Costs
It goes without saying that vision insurance will save you a lot of money. You should check with the insurance company or your employer about what is and isn’t covered. Does your coverage include prescription eyeglasses, contacts, LASIK surgery, and eye exams?
Does the coverage also extend to family and dependents? If your vision care is only basic, it might only include basic eye exams and offer discounts on prescription medicine. In more comprehensive vision plans, the basic might go on to include LASIK vision correction and extra prescription glasses.
Enhances Your Company Reputation
Vision insurance policies that are comprehensive and give discounts for the purchase of eyewear and prescription medicine enhance the reputation of the business. Most companies do not offer such vision care, which means your organization can stand out from the other run of the mill businesses that do not invest in employee health. This helps boost employee recruitment effort and retention.
Improves Your Bottom Line
Companies that offer vision benefits are able to make enormous savings, primarily because of the preventative nature of eye exams. A study discovered that by carrying out regular eye exams, employees were alerted to early signs of chronic diseases that could have gone unnoticed. This in turn saved at least $28,111 per 1000 employees over four years.
