Seeing The Value Of Vision Benefits During National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Here’s how to begin the year with a positive outlook

As we recover from the marathon of 2020, there is no better time to identify new opportunities, such as creating benefits packages that include vision care during National Glaucoma Awareness Month. With glaucoma being the second leading cause of blindness in the world, early detection combined with treatment to lower eye pressure is key to slowing or stopping glaucoma progression. 

Because it is painless and typically has no early warning signs or symptoms, routine eye exams are important to catch it in the early stages. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 3 million Americans who suffer from this disorder, yet half don’t know they have it.¹

Everyone is at risk for glaucoma, but some people are more susceptible to the disease than others. For example, individuals over the age of 60, African Americans over the age of 40, individuals who have diabetes and people with a family history of glaucoma are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.¹

Eyes are complex organs. It may be surprising to realize that your eyes are the windows to blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues throughout your body. While it is easy to procrastinate getting a comprehensive eye exam, they can help detect other serious health risks and diseases, such as aneurysms, tumors, cancer, high cholesterol, lupus, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and even thyroid disease. According to the American Optometric Association, adults should have an eye exam at least once every two years and those who are at risk for certain eye conditions should have them done more frequently.² 

By working with your company to offer a robust benefits package, HR professionals can enable employees to take care of their eyes as well as their overall health. Employees will appreciate the larger scale of benefits offerings, as well. According to the 2020-2021 Aflac WorkForces Report, employees ranked vision insurance in their top five most important benefits, only behind health insurance, dental insurance and life insurance.³

While many policies cover eye exams, contacts and glasses, ask your provider about additional vision benefits that might be present within your plan. For example, policies like that from Aflac include a frame or lens breakage warranty, additional money toward frames if you use a specific provider, additional savings after the policyholder exhausts their insurance benefits and some even cover the added cost of special contacts needed for certain eye disorders. 

By asking these questions when selecting vision benefits, you can help ensure employees have all the information necessary to make an informed choice – even those that do not realize they need vision insurance. According to the World Health Organization, at least 1 billion people globally have a vision impairment that either could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.4 By offering a robust vision package, you can help ensure that all of your employees protect their vision.

Optical care has the power to prevent vision loss, detect optical diseases and even identify risk factors for one’s overall health. As you begin looking at opportunities for future offerings, consider the benefits of including a vision care package in your company’s benefits plan.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation for insurance. Aflac includes Aflac and/or Aflac New York.

WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999
 
Notes