Concern over employees lack of eye care

Women are more likely to spend more time looking at Display Screen Equipment (DSE) for work purposes than men, a recent survey has revealed.

The research carried out on behalf of Specsavers Corporate Eyecare by YouGov, surveyed over a 1000 employees and revealed that the length of time spent using (DSE) differs, according to factors such as gender and age.

The report found that 81% of women spent at least four working hours a day in front of a screen, compared to 69% of men.

Age is also a factor in how much time is spent in front of a screen, with 65% of those aged under 35 spending over 7 hours a day looking at DSE, in comparison to 44% for those aged 45-54.

However, despite concerns over the levels of time spent looking at a screen, just 40% of employees stated that they receive eyecare benefits from their employer’ such as free or subsidised eye tests or spectacles.

A significant proportion of employees did not know if they received eye care benefits (10%) and nearly half (49%) stated they did not receive any eye care from their employer.

Director of strategic alliances at Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, Jim Lythgow, highlighted to OT, “The working hours people are spending in front of screens is, of course, likely to have increased over recent years but some employers may be surprised by quite how much time their employees now spend using Display Screen Equipment.

“This makes it more important than ever for employers to offer eye care. It is a stipulation of the health and safety regulations that all screen users should receive company-funded eye care and glasses, if required solely for DSE use”.

The research went on to survey over 500 senior HR decision makers at UK companies. Of these, 41% said they were concerned about employees’ eyesight as a result of their use of display screen equipment in their working role.

Mr Lythgrow concluded, “Communication is key here and it is vital that employers make employees aware of their entitlement and any eye care that is available. In fact, it is even part of the DSE regulations that employers must not only fund eye care but also communicate entitlement."