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Workplace Health: Most Employees Uneducated About Vision Dangers

February 7, 2013

Is your workplace knowledgeable about common vision problems?

In the last few years, many employers have become focused on the importance of employee health and have taken extra steps to ensure that their employees are staying healthy and happy in the workplace. This is because a healthy employee directly translates to a more productive business and a better bottom line for your business.

However, while many company-wide health programs focus on importance of diet and fitness for overall health, they often overlook the large importance of healthy vision.

Transitions Optical Inc. recently conducted a survey which revealed that very few employees understand how their various lifestyle choices can affect their overall eye health. However, employees stated that they would be much more motivated to fix their poor vision habits if their awareness of the issues rose.

Scheduling regular comprehensive eye examinations, as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, can go a long way towards ensuring your eyes are strong and healthy well into your senior years. However, just as common lifestyle and behavioral factors can lead to disease prevention and vision maintenance, certain lifestyle choices can just as easily contribute to poor eye health.

According to the Transitions Optical Inc. survey, 83% of employees knew that aging could affect their eye health, 70% did not fully understand the detrimental effects of UV exposure―one of the leading preventable causes of vision problems. 66% of employees surveyed were unaware of the damaging effects of poor nutrition, 64% of lack of sleep, 60% of medications  and 19% of pregnancy.

55% of employees said that they were unaware of the serious effects of smoking on vision. Although 85% of them agreed that they would take the necessary steps to quit if they knew that it meant damaging their eye health.

Just as many employees were unaware of the many lifestyle choices that can lead to poor vision, they were also very misinformed about common vision myths. For instance, 70% of employees surveyed incorrectly believed that spending too much time in front of a computer could affect their eye health in a permanent manner. 48% believed the same about watching television.

However, despite the need for more education and information about these important vision issues, only 16% of respondents reported that they had received education from their employer about their eye health, and only 80% were enrolled in a vision plan. Of that group, more than 36% did not use their health plan to get an eye examination.

Do you believe that employers have an important role in bridging this gap by educating their employees about the importance of healthy diet and healthy lifestyle choices? Do you think that this would bring enough awareness to the workplace that more people would schedule regular eye examinations and vision screenings for serious eye disorders such as glaucoma or cataracts? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

In the mean time, to schedule your own comprehensive eye examination and protect your eyes against the dangers of poor vision, contact OCLI today.

 

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