National Eye Health Week
- Corazon Health
- Sep 24
- 5 min read
Promoting good eye health at work and encouraging employees to have regular eye tests.
About National Eye Health Week
National Eye Health Week (22nd-28th September) is the annual public health campaign highlighting the importance of good eyecare and the need for regular eye tests. Routine eye tests are essential for maintaining good vision and overall health. They can detect vision problems early, prevent avoidable sight loss, identify broader health issues and eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. Most people should have an eye examination every two years even if they have no problems with their vision and don't need glasses. Some people should have their eyes tested more frequently, for instance, if they have a family history of eye disease. However, Eye Health UK estimates that 19 million British people are failing to have regular eye tests. Therefore, the campaign’s message is clear: eye health deserves the same attention as any other aspect of health and wellbeing.
Creating An Eye Friendly Work Environment
Like other health issues, employers need to recognise how eyesight can impact the overall health, wellbeing and productivity of their workforce. Undiagnosed and unmanaged vision problems among staff can result in substantial direct and indirect costs for employers. This includes costs related to absenteeism, reduced productivity, and staff turnover. Promoting good eye health should form part of your wider health and wellbeing culture. There are many steps that you could take to create a safe and eye friendly work environment:
ERGONOMICS
Ensure that staff’s workstations are set up properly to reduce eye strain and maintain good posture. If your employees use display screen equipment (DSE) daily, as part of their normal work, continuously for an hour or more, you must do a DSE Assessment as outlined in The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. The DSE assessment should include workstation, furniture (desk and chair), keyboard, mouse and screen, environment (heating, lighting and ventilation), as well as software.
DSE Assessments are especially important in the context of screens, as improperly set up screens can lead to tired eyes, eye discomfort, headaches or temporary short-sightedness. The screens should always be positioned directly in front of employees at eye level and must be away from glare. They should be clean, sharply focused, flicker-free and be able to tilt. Where employees are completing complex and detailed work, they should not lean forward to increase focus on a smaller and more complex images or text. Instead, they should make some adjustments to the display size and increase it. For instance, Word documents or Internet browsers allow to increase the display size up to 500 times the original size. You can find more information about the DSE Assessments in Work with display screen equipment: Guidance on Regulations from the Health and Safety (HSE).
PROPER LIGHTING
Make sure that employees’ workstations are well-lit and that lighting can be adjusted to avoid screen glare. You should use the most appropriate lighting devices and fixtures within workplace. Health and Safety Executive’s Lighting at work guide explains how lighting contributes to the health and safety of people at work and describes good practice when it comes to lighting in the workplace.
REGURAL SCREEN BREAKS
Encourage employees who work with DSE to take regular breaks from screens to avoid eye strain and headaches. Short, frequent breaks are more beneficial than occasional, longer breaks. The 20, 20, 20 rule suggests taking a break of at least 20 seconds, every 20 minutes and to look at least 20 feet away from the screen.
EYE PROTECTION
Provide appropriate protective eyewear, such as spectacles, goggles, face screens, face shields and visors for staff in high-risk environments where they are exposed to various eye hazards. Eye injuries can be caused by foreign objects like debris, chemicals or fluids splashed in the eye, burns from the steam, and ultraviolet or radiation exposure. Some of the common industries with a high risk for eye injuries include construction, manufacturing, mining, carpentry, automobile repair, electrical work, plumbing, welding, and maintenance work. In addition, health care workers and laboratory staff may be at risk of acquiring infectious diseases through a direct contact with splashes of blood. If you provide PPE, you should ensure it complies with the relevant product supply legislation. You can find out more about PPE in the HSE’s guidance on regulations: Personal protective equipment at work: The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended).
REGULAR EYE EXAM
Promote regular eye check-ups to detect and address vision problems early. Eye tests are important for indicating whether a person needs glasses, or needs to change their prescription, but that’s not all. Regular eye tests can also detect early signs of eye conditions, such as glaucoma or cataracts. This means that employees can receive treatment early, which may help to prevent more serious problems from developing in the future.
Under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, employers are required to provide eye tests for employees using Display Screen Equipment (DSE) if they request one. Employer must also pay for glasses for DSE work if the test shows an employee needs special glasses prescribed for the distance the screen is viewed at. However, if an ordinary prescription is suitable, employer does not have to pay for glasses. It's up to the employer how they provide the eye test. For instance, they could let employees arrange the tests and reimburse them for the cost later, or they could provide vouchers that employees can redeem at their local opticians. At Corazon Health, we can help you arrange the vouchers for your staff with the Eyecare eVoucher Service. The service operates through Specsavers and utilises eVouchers that can be used at over 900 Specsavers stores across the UK and the Channel Islands. Get in touch with us to find out more about the Eyecare eVoucher Service.
EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS
Organise awareness programmes or training sessions on eye safety and maintaining good eye health. You could distribute educational tools, resources, and information via e-mail or intranet. You could find plenty of helpful materials on the following websites:
Looking after your eyes - Royal National Institute of Blind People
Vision Matters – National Eye Health Week
Look after your eyes - The College of Optometrists
By taking a proactive approach to address eye health and implementing various wellbeing initiatives, you can make a positive impact on employees’ overall health. You can not only help staff protect their vision and prevent avoidable sight loss, but you can also reduce the risk of eye injuries in the workplace and stay compliant with the relevant legislation. Moreover, you can demonstrate your commitment to the health and wellbeing of your workforce. Ultimately, this can reduce sickness absence in the workplace, increase productivity, and improve staff retention.
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