Employee engagement and productivity are critical drivers of success for businesses of all sizes and across industries, since they are directly connected to organizational outcomes.¹ Health insurance—including vision coverage—is an important benefit that supports healthy and productive employees. As vital as vision benefits are to employee health and productivity, not all organizations offer them. Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data underscore the shortfall, stating that while 72 percent of employees in the private sector have access to medical care benefits, only 28 percent have access to vision benefits.²

How minor vision issues reduce employee productivity

This coverage gap that leaves routine eye care and corrective lenses uncovered for millions of employees is problematic now and will continue to grow. The number of people in the U.S. with vision impairments is staggering and shows no signs of decreasing. The National Eye Institute projects that 39 million Americans will be nearsighted and another 20 million will be farsighted in less than a decade.³ These numbers don’t even factor in other vision health issues common across work environments that can affect employees’ ability to complete tasks and their overall productivity:

• Dry eye disease often worsened by screen time, fans/air conditioning, or low-humidity environments
• Eye strain often resulting from sustained near work
• Ocular allergies or irritation, especially in environments with poor air quality

Ellen Butts, OD, explains why disregarding any of these issues can contribute to widespread productivity losses. “Suboptimal vision can impact any profession, but jobs requiring detailed visual work or precise depth perception may be especially affected, even by minor vision issues. That means everyone from artists and data analysts to drivers, health care workers, heavy machine workers and beyond can have untreated eye-related issues that compromise their ability to work efficiently and effectively because these issues can cause them to misread information or overlook details, which can increase the number of mistakes they make,” she said.

Vision issues alone don’t define employee potential. Dr. Butts, adds, “It is important to note that individuals with visual impairments can still be highly productive. Numerous resources, including low vision rehabilitation optometrists and occupational therapists, are available to help maximize an individual’s visual potential.”

How employers can help promote eye health 

Employers should make it a priority to raise awareness around the early signs of vision-related problems, as they can impact productivity. “Employee check-ins are important and should be more inclusive than asking about project status. Take note when you see an employee squinting, leaning closer or farther from what they are focusing on, or closing one eye to focus, and discuss this issue to see how you can make improvements for them,” said Dr. Butts. She recommends these and other practices to help employees maintain optimal visual health:

• Ensure ergonomic workspaces. For example, employees with bifocals or progressive lenses need monitors positioned slightly below eye level. 

• Provide proper workplace lighting. Using natural light when possible; avoiding glare with blinds or shades; and combining ambient, task, and accent lighting are ways to help reduce eye fatigue.
• Encourage the 20-20-20 rule. This rule prompts employees to do the following: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Full and frequent blinks during these breaks help reduce dry eye symptoms.
• Offer vision plan coverage. This benefit helps ensure employees have access to annual eye exams, keeping in mind that this need may vary by age:
  • Adults under 40: Every two years if asymptomatic
  • Adults 40–65: Every one to two years
  • Adults 65+ or at higher risk (diabetes, hypertension, family history of eye disease): Annually
  • Anyone experiencing new or sudden vision symptoms. People having vision changes/loss, flashes of light, new floaters, or eye pain should be evaluated promptly and should not wait for their annual eye exam. The Urgent Eye Care Clinic at the UPMC Vision Institute is available for walk-in urgent eye care. The UPMC Mercy Emergency Department is available outside of business hours for emergency needs. 

• Incentivize preventive care. Consider allowing employees to take paid time off for eye appointments if possible.  

Why offering a vision package helps set employees up for success

The tie between providing vision coverage and productivity levels is tight. “Providing high-quality vision coverage can prevent avoidable productivity loss and errors related to uncorrected vision. It can also help detect systemic diseases like diabetes and hypertension early,” said Dr. Butts. Without coverage employees may not have access to vision care services. “Employer-sponsored vision coverage reduces financial barriers to preventive and wellness eye care,” she added. 

What UPMC Health Plan has to offer

Being part of an integrated health care delivery system with UPMC—one of the nation's top-ranked health systems—allows us to leverage shared expertise across all areas of health coverage, including employer group ancillary benefits. As a leader in providing access to high-quality care to support total well-being, we understand the benefits of investing in vision insurance for your employees. UPMC Vision Care, administered by National Vision Administrators (NVA®), gives members and covered dependents access to a national network of vision providers and offers a variety of plan designs with both copay and no-copay options. Members also receive discounts on eye exams, lenses, lens options, frames, and contact lenses when they use a participating provider and can use a mail-order contact lens service, among other benefits.

¹Maximizing employee engagement. U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Accessed Sept. 3, 3025. opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/training-and-development/reference-materials/online-courses/maximizing-employee-engagement/MaximizingEmployeeEngagement.pdf

²Employee benefits in the United States—March 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sept. 19, 2024. Accessed Sept. 3, 2025. bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ebs2.pdf

³Eye disease statistics. National Eye Institute. March 2014. Accessed Sept. 4, 2025. nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2019-04/NEI_Eye_Disease_Statistics_Factsheet_2014_V10.pdf