Does your employer care about your vision

Charlotte, NC has seen many things change over the course of the last years financial crisis. Both financial institutions Bank of America and Wachovia (now, Wells Fargo) have seen major shifts in how they do business.

From my perspective as an optometrist, the most notable has been the change in vision insurance plans especially for BofA. They moved from VSP considered a better partner to private practice optometrist to Eyemed (who also run the chain Lenscrafters).

The question that's raised is: how much shall companies bear for the employees eye care?.

It surely is no secret that if your vision is impaired, it affects practically every sphere of your life. Yet, we find that one place most organizations cut back is in vision and related service. It enrages me to see some plans that restrict eye exams to 24 months! Especially when they are kids! I spend considerable amount of time explaining to parents the need for annual eye exams.
Recently, a study of the eye care policies of the UK's top 250 companies revealed considerable confusion among employers over their responsibilities for the eye care of their employees. The results also showed that 59 per cent of the UK's leading 250 companies believe that they are only required to make a contribution towards the cost of glasses, while a further 20 per cent believed contributions are entirely voluntary.

I hope there is an independent study of the top 250 companies in the US, where the Human Resource officers are surveyed about their responsibilities to employees vision.

Posted in: Bank of America, Charlotte North Carolina, optometry, Vision Isurance, Wachovia, Wells Fargo