Back-to-School Season Offers a Timely Opportunity to Reevaluate Vision Benefits

HEALTH & WELLNESS

By Jonathan Ormsby

Today’s screen-heavy world is part of daily life for both students and employees. Teens spend more than seven hours a day on screens, while over half of workers spend more than six hours a day looking at digital devices. With so much time spent looking at screens, vision health is an important consideration in both school and workplace settings. As students settle into a new school year, employers have a timely opportunity to revisit vision benefits. While parents focus on preparing children for classroom success, vision health is often overlooked despite its strong connection to both academic and workplace performance.

From Classroom Success to Workplace Success

The connection between vision and performance does not begin in the workplace. It starts in the classroom. Research shows 80% of classroom learning is visual, making healthy vision an important factor in a child’s ability to learn and engage at school. With the school year now underway, it is an ideal time for employees to schedule annual eye exams for themselves and their children. Yet many adults continue to place vision care lower on their list of healthcare priorities.

In fact, according to the Transitions Optical 2025 Workplace Wellness Survey, 60% of respondents are more likely to take time off work for a dental appointment than to visit an eye doctor. Brokers are well positioned to help employers address this gap by emphasizing preventive vision care and helping clients better communicate the value of their vision benefits to employees. Annual eye exams, typically included in a vision benefits plan, can do more than determine whether a prescription has changed. Survey respondents recognize that eye exams can help identify eye diseases early and may even detect indicators of broader health concerns such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and brain tumors.

A Family-Focused Benefit That Stands Out

As employers continue looking for ways to attract and retain talent, benefits that support employees’ families can make a meaningful difference. For working parents, comprehensive vision plans that deliver value for every member of the family can help ensure their children have access to vision solutions designed to support their everyday activities. Children move between classrooms, playgrounds, sports fields, and outdoor environments throughout the day.

Premium options like Transitions® GEN S™ lenses, which are available through many major vision care plans, automatically adapt to changing light, darkening when outdoors and returning to clear when indoors, offering ultimate light protection by blocking 100% UVA and UVB rays and filtering blue-violet light indoors and outdoors. (Block 100% UVA & UVB rays, darken outdoors & filters up to 32% of blue-violet light indoors & up to 85% outdoors. Blue-violet light is measured between 400nm and 455 nm (ISOTR20772:2018) across colors on polycarbonate & CR39 lenses.) For employers, family-oriented benefits such as these can enhance the overall value of a benefits package while helping employees feel supported both at work and at home.

Employees Are Looking for Solutions

The 2025 Transitions Workplace Wellness Survey findings suggest employees are increasingly aware of vision-related challenges and actively looking for ways to address them. In fact, 71% of employees say eye fatigue or light sensitivity prevents them from doing their best at work, and 42% report it negatively affects their productivity. These findings reinforce that vision benefits can play an important role in supporting employee well-being, engagement, and performance.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they get annual eye exams so their eye doctor can recommend solutions for issues such as dry eye, strain, and light sensitivity. Additionally, 68% say bright or constantly changing light conditions interfere with their ability to excel at work. Employees also recognize the value of adaptive lens technology. Survey respondents identified UV rays and changing light conditions as situations where lenses that transition from clear to dark—like Transitions® lenses—may help protect their eyes.

An Opportunity for Brokers to Lead

The survey also revealed an opportunity for brokers to help employers strengthen both their vision benefits strategy and benefits communication. Only 34% of employees say eye health is regularly discussed in their workplace, yet employees express interest in receiving more support.

“Helping a client enroll is just the beginning. Being a true advisor means staying present all year long.”

More than half would value educational materials about digital eye strain and reminders to step away from screens, while nearly half would appreciate an annual overview of their vision benefits. This creates an opportunity for brokers to take a more strategic approach. In addition to supporting open enrollment conversations, wellness campaigns, and year-round employee communications, brokers can review their clients’ existing vision plans, benchmark them against benefits offered by similar employers, and identify opportunities to enhance competitiveness. Ensuring employees have access to comprehensive vision benefits, including innovative lens options that support today’s digital lifestyles, can help employers differentiate their benefits packages while better meeting workforce needs.

During back-to-school season, employers have a natural opportunity to reinforce the importance of preventive eye care, encourage annual eye exams, and showcase benefits that support employees and their families. The lesson is simple: clear vision supports success at every stage of life. From helping children thrive in the classroom to helping employees stay productive and engaged at work, vision benefits are becoming an increasingly important part of a modern benefits strategy. For brokers looking to deliver meaningful value to clients, that makes vision care a conversation worth having this season.