Amid rising healthcare costs, vision benefits offer value

In this 3-minute read you'll learn:

• How vision exams detect health conditions sooner
• How vision benefits drive a $7 ROI
• How good vision boosts productivity

Groceries, gas, even just going to the movies…seems like the cost of everything is going up these days. Unfortunately for employers and employees, that includes healthcare. The average cost of employer-sponsored health plans is expected to grow 9% next year.¹ With rising premiums, employers are looking for ways to reduce cost wherever they can. That’s where vision benefits can help. Beyond providing long-term cost savings, vision benefits show your commitment to your employees health, boost productivity and help you attract and retain talent. Check out all these valuable reasons to add vision benefits to your employee offerings.

Detect eye problems sooner

Routine eye exams aren’t just for people who wear glasses. They’re an essential part of maintaining good eye health as we age. By getting their annual eye exams, employees can address eye issues like glaucoma and cataracts sooner before the condition worsens and treatments become more expensive.²

Spot signs of serious health conditions

Beyond vision issues, routine eye exams can also detect early signs of serious health problems. In fact, eye exams enable eye doctors to detect over 270 health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and even cancers. By going to the eye doctor, employees can monitor signs of these conditions and diseases – even if they don’t have other symptoms.³

Reduce expenses

According to a recent Vision Council survey of U.S adults, 83% of respondents use some form of vision correction.⁴ Vision insurance typically includes coverage for glasses, contact lenses and annual eye exams, helping employees save more on out-of-pocket expenses.⁵

Those cost savings aren’t just for employees. Employers who offer eye care benefits also end up saving money. For every dollar invested in vision benefits, Employers see an ROI of $7. That equates to savings of over $2,700 annually per employee.²

Promote preventive care

By offering vision benefits, employers give their team convenient access to in-network eyecare providers and make it easy for them to stay up to date on their eye health. This preventive care approach helps monitor eye problems, ensures timely treatment if needed and avoids potential long-term healthcare costs.⁶

Boost productivity

Persistent vision problems that go untreated result in significant costs for employers, like medical expenses, sick days and reduced productivity.⁷ In fact, a whopping 78% of employees report issues with their eyes negatively impacting their productivity and performance at work.⁸ Vision benefits not only resolve these productivity issues but improve employees’ overall health.

Attract and retain talent

In a recent national survey of employed adults, 94% of them described vision benefits as very valuable and an integral part of caring for their vision.⁹ By offering vision benefits, employers show their commitment to their employees’ wellbeing while attracting and retaining talent.

With rising healthcare costs, there’s lots of reasons why vision benefits are more valuable than ever. It all adds up to healthier employees, a more productive workplace and lower health care expenses.

For more information on saving with vision benefits, speak with an EyeMed representative.

About EyeMed

EyeMed Vision Care is a leader in vision insurance benefits.¹⁰ We deliver stand-out vision benefits centered around an outstanding member experience as America’s largest vision network.¹¹ EyeMed is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Learn more at eyemed.com.

1. “Employer healthcare costs projected to rise 9% in 2025: Aon”; Healthcare Dive; healthcaredive.com; August 19, 2024.
2. “5 Reasons Why Employers Should Offer Eye Care Benefits”; Ameritas; ameritas.com; March 10, 2022.
3. “Eye Exams Are Now Recommended Every Year–But Do You Really Need One?” Verywell Health; verywellhealth.com; March 29, 2023.
4. “The Vision Council releases new research spotlighting Q2 consumer trends and generational differences; The Vision Council; thevisioncouncil.org; July 25, 2024.
5. “Seeing the Value of Vision Benefits”; International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans; ifebp.org; May 21, 2024.
6. “Clear Future: Employer Sponsored Vision Benefits”; Faster Capital; fastercapital.com; June 3, 2024.
7. “Why we should be doing more to protect eye health at work”; World Economic Forum; weforum.org; October 10, 2023.
8. “Eyecare is Important to Employees Amid Greater Attention to Holistic Health, Transitions Optical Survey Says”; Vision Monday; visionmonday.com; September 21, 2023.
9. “State of Vision Health 2023”; XP Health; xphealth.co; March 20, 2023.
10. EyeMed internal book of business, 2023.
11. Based on the EyeMed Insight network and analysis of competitors’ largest networks via competitor data, 2024.