Gen Z, Millennials Lag Behind In Vision Benefits Enrollment And Utilization: Survey

Key motivators for increasing enrollment and utilization of vision benefits

While enrollment in vision benefits remains high among all employees, new research reveals that younger generations—who continue to make up an increasing portion of the workforce—are not only significantly less likely to enroll, but are also less likely to understand the importance of regular, comprehensive eye exams. According to the ninth annual Transitions Optical Employee Perceptions of VisionBenefits survey,¹ while 76 percent of employees overall are enrolled in their company’s vision program—Millennial and Gen Z employees are significantly less likely to enroll in or utilize the plan offered by their employer. Regardless of generation, the survey found that providing ongoing education about vision benefits can help to increase employee enrollment and utilization.
 

Lack of Understanding May Impact Enrollment and Utilization

According to the survey, while 84 percent of Baby Boomers and 80 percent of those in Gen X are enrolled in their company’s vision plan, just 75 percent of Millennials and only 50 percent of those in Gen Z say they are enrolled. Further findings indicate that this could be due to a lack of education—including a misunderstanding of what comprehensive eye exams detect vs. vision screenings, and not knowing what benefits are included as part of their vision plan offering.
 
While two-thirds of employees overall agreed that it’s important to schedule regular, comprehensive eye exams with an eyecare professional—in line with enrollment trends—the survey revealed an education gap among younger employees, particularly those in Gen Z (60 percent believe it’s important vs. 67 percent of all employees).
 
Additionally, the survey also uncovered a lack of understanding of what comprehensive eye exams include—particularly among younger employees. More than one in five Millennial and Gen Z employees incorrectly believe that if they receive an eye test/vision screening from their primary care physician, they don’t need to schedule a comprehensive eye exam with their eyecare professional—compared to just 8 percent of those in Gen X and 7 percent of Boomers.
 
The survey also found that only half of employees feel very confident in understanding what their vision plan covers, with few differences across generations. The silver lining is that nearly all employees (96 percent) say they’d be more likely to use their benefits if they better understood what their plan covers, reinforcing a need for education. Millennials were the most likely to say they’d be “much more” likely use their vision benefits if they better understood them (56 percent vs. 49 percent of all employees).
 
The survey indicated that lack of coverage of premium lens options may also be a factor in vision benefits enrollment and utilization. In fact, when asked which types of lens options are most important for their vision plan to fully cover, one in five employees said lenses that protect against UV rays—with this being the top choice for Gen Z. Additionally, when asked if employees would be more likely to schedule an eye exam if their vision plan covered one or more premium lens options, 92 percent said they would, little differences across generations.

Key Motivators for Increasing Interest in Vision Benefits

The vast majority of employees (95 percent) agree that they would be more likely to enroll in their company’s vision plan if they knew more about the importance of comprehensive eye exams and the specific, premium eyewear offerings available through their benefits.
 

Premium lens options, like anti-reflective treatments and photochromic lenses—which adapt their level of tint in changing light to enhance and protect vision—are desirable among employees and are a major factor when considering enrollment.
 

 
The survey also confirmed that brand name does matter to employees—and can impact enrollment trends. More than six in 10 employees (62 percent) say it’s important to them to have authentic Transitions lenses covered by their vision plan as opposed to other photochromic brands—with little difference across generations.
 
Furthermore, offering employees access to premium eyewear options can help ensure that those who do enroll in their vison benefits are actually taking advantage of them. Nine in 10 eyeglass wearers (92 percent) say they would be more likely to schedule an eye exam within the next 12 months if their vision plan covered one or more premium lens options, such as anti-reflective coatings, photochromic lenses or lenses that offer protection from UV light or harmful blue light.
 
Notes
 
¹Online survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Transitions Optical, Inc. in December 2017 among 1,300 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 18+, employed full- or part-time, whose employers offer vision benefits. For the purposes of this survey, Generation Z adults are defined as ages 18-19, Millennials (Gen Y) as 20-36, Gen X as 37-52, and Boomers as 53-71.