Workers' Vision Woes Cost Employers Billions

Tuesday, June 26, 2007; 12:00 AM

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TUESDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Vision problems cost U.S. businesses an estimated $8 billion each year in lost productivity, a new report finds.

The Vision in Business report, released today by the Vision Council of America (VCA), analyzed the prevalence and cost of vision problems in the American workplace.

"Uncorrected vision problems are costing employers billions of dollars," said Ed Greene, CEO of VCA, in a prepared statement. "Direct medical costs associated with vision disorders exceed similar medical expenditures for breast cancer, lung cancer and HIV, yet few Americans get regular eye exams or have vision coverage in their health plans."

VCA's state-by-state analysis showed that the annual costs of vision disorders exceeds $1 billion in 18 states and exceeds $500 million in another 13 states. California, Florida, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and North Carolina were the states representing the largest cost burden.

According to VCA, engineers, construction workers, stockbrokers, software developers, accountants and administrative assistants are among those at the highest risk of developing vision problems that could affect their work performance.

The report found that an estimated 11 million Americans have uncorrected vision problems such as refractive errors (near- or far-sightedness), glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.

"I see patients everyday with vision problems that could impact their work performance if not corrected," said ophthalmologist Dr. Elaine G. Hathaway in a prepared statement.

To help keep costs associated with vision problems under control, the VCA recommends that employers offer vision coverage as part of a health care package, ensure a safe working environment that includes eye protection as needed, and encourage employees to get regular eye exams.

Employees can do their part to protect their eyes and their employer's bottom line by taking frequent breaks from looking at a computer, talking with their eye-care professional about anti-reflective lenses for their glasses, and scheduling regular eye exams.

More information

The National Eye Institute has more about eye diseases and disorders.