Eye Tests

[witch]

Just a thought - does anyone get eye tests paid for by their employer as the nature of the job means that we stare into computer screens for a lot of the time and come into close contact with projectors etc?

 

Should we?

[Dos_Box]

I get a discount, and I think I'm going to need it. In the past few month I'm having increasing difficulty reading things like serial numbers on equipment, and have to let my eyes focus on text over longer and longer periods.

Damn. There go my rugged good looks

[Joedetic]

If i were in work it'd be nice to have a discount etc but seeing as eye tests are only ~20 quid i wouldnt see it as /that/ big a deal for an annual/bi-annual expense. As a student i'm meant to be able to claim back the cost using a HC20 form (or something like that) which i havent up until now. Maybe i should.

 

I know my eyes are shot...i've been wearing glasses for 8 years and i'm now 19 and going into my second year of uni and they've gotten MUCH worse...glasses are expensive too!

[Andrew_C]

OPSI

Eyes and eyesight

5.—(1) Where a person-

 

(a) is already a user on the date of coming into force of these Regulations; or

 

(b) is an employee who does not habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of his normal work but is to become a user in the undertaking in which he is already employed,

 

his employer shall ensure that he is provided at his request with an appropriate eye and eyesight test, any such test to be carried out by a competent person.

 

(2) Any eye and eyesight test provided in accordance with paragraph (1) shall-

 

(a) in any case to which sub-paragraph (a) of that paragraph applies, be carried out as soon as practicable after being requested by the user concerned; and

 

(b) in any case to which sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph applies, be carried out before the employee concerned becomes a user.

 

 

(3) At regular intervals after an employee has been provided with an eye and eyesight test in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), his employer shall, subject to paragraph (6), ensure that he is provided with a further eye and eyesight test of an appropriate nature, any such test to be carried out by a competent person.

 

(4) Where a user experiences visual difficulties which may reasonably be considered to be caused by work on display screen equipment, his employer shall ensure that he is provided at his request with an appropriate eye and eyesight test, any such test to be carried out by a competent person as soon as practicable after being requested as aforesaid.

 

(5) Every employer shall ensure that each user employed by him is provided with special corrective appliances appropriate for the work being done by the user concerned where-

 

(a) normal corrective appliances cannot be used; and

 

(b) the result of any eye and eyesight test which the user has been given in accordance with this regulation shows such provision to be necessary.

 

I believe that they should provide this free to the user, as with PPE, but this doesn't seem to be explicit here. My school provide one pair free, but seem to have forgotten clause (3), as I've had my first pair for a long time now... 8O

[User3204]

Everywhere I have worked, I have been told:

 

1. if you work with computers you get a free eyetest;

2. if you need glasses _just_ for working with a computer, then the company/organisation pays for the glasses;

 

But, (2) never happens, who needs glasses to use a PC, but doesn't need a computer to do anything else ?

 

At a previous job, they brought an optician in at regular intervals (every two years, I think). People saw it as:

1. free eye test;

2. 20 min paid skive off work;

 

8)

[mortstar]

Yes you are entitled to an eye-test.

 

Ask to speak to the Occupational Health department at the council.

 

You should also have a DSE Assessor at school, who should inform you of this when you are assessed - this is me (H&S - what a load of CRAP).

 

However, the test is not a "full" eye-test it is specific to heavy display screen use. Also I believe that your employer only need pay upto a certain amount (I'm not sure what this is) and this is only when the optician says you need glasses specifically for Display Screen use.

 

Though I may be wrong - this is what I got from my DSE Assessor training.

[witch]

Thanks guys

Never heard of a DSE assessor and I am never never assessed for anything (no performance management, no nothing)

 

I will look into it

 

And Dos_Box - depending how old you are, the inability to read serial numbers is probably due to your age I'm afraid

You could just go to a chemist and get a pair of those cheap reading glasses.

Or get a magnifying glass - my partner does this to avoid admitting he needs glasses!

[MkII]

Working for Leicestershire and Powys CCs i've always received free eye tests. There's a form on our intranet to complete and hand to the optician.

 

Mine is a normal eye test. I'll look into that 'heavy use' thing.

[Ric_]

@WITCH: I blame DB's poor eyesight on gazing out of his office window into the woods

 

It's handy to have a friend that is an optician so that the cost of eyesight tests becomes a mute point

[plexer]

I have always had my eye tests paid for by the school they order an eye test voucher from the LEA which is valid at most opticians.

 

If you need glasses speciffically for vdu use then you can get help towards the cost but I wear mine all the time anyway so that doesn't apply.

 

Ben

[witch]

I don't know if it is Dorset LEA that are at fault or both the schools I work in.

Anyone out there work for Dorset?

I will definitely look into it

 

Ta

 

(and it is 'moot', not 'mute' Ric - all refering back to saxon times when the meeting area was called a moot)

 

(look, I can't compete in terms of technical knowledge with most of you lot, so allow me my little bits of point scoring!)

[User3204]

optician says you need glasses specifically for Display Screen use

f you need glasses speciffically for vdu use

 

No, seriously... who needs glasses for using a monitor, but doesn't need glasses for anything else ?

 

And Dos_Box... get a barcode reader and put the database on the a PDA/laptop.

[Roger]

Chris (Dos_Box)

 

Take advice from me ( 3 major eye problems over last 10 years)

Get an eye test at an opticians, this will make sure you do not have any developing problems and if you have will detect them early.

 

I have experienced deterioration in vision, it is not an exciting prospect, obviously has major implications.

Fortunately for me early detection of my problems resulted in a cure.

 

Roger

[john]

I've never bothered claiming probably too much hassle to be bothered with, but I know what you mean about the costs, 2 years ago I was didnt get much change out of £250 when I'd been to the opticians, then again I did have 2 pairs of glasses, tints, reactions, coatings etc

[m25man]

I was advised by my accountant that eye tests for myself and any of my employees was entirely tax deductable provided that their job involve using a computer for periods greater that 20 minutes.

 

Classified on my tax returns under Staff Welfare, in essence as long as the company continues to make a profit the IR will pay for them!

[Pottsey]

I got sent for a free eye test a few years back though it was more for VDU use then a normal test.

[chrbb]

I thought they were just printing serial numbers much smaller than they used to! A trip to the opticians proved otherwise and I am now officially an old person with reading glasses.

 

Glad I didn't go to the supermarket to get mine because one eye is worse than the other.

 

I didn't bother asking my employers for a contribution because I used my free vision express voucher that popped through the letter box! However, because my day doesn't consist of continued computer screen usage, unlike the office staff, I wouldn't have thought I would stand a chance of discounted eye tests.

[alan-d]

I get a discount, and I think I'm going to need it. In the past few month I'm having increasing difficulty reading things like serial numbers on equipment, and have to let my eyes focus on text over longer and longer periods.

Damn. There go my rugged good looks

 

It's age DB - gets to us all -

 

I was having the same problem so bit the bullet and went for a test. Result - mild reading specs which I only use on bad days but funnily enough hardly need to wear them at home

 

I can read ok without them but detail isn't as fuzzy with them on. I got mine before I realised I could claim. Apparently you need to register for a test first.

[Friez]

I don't know if I'm entitled to a free eye test or not, though I probably should find out if I'm going blind or not!

 

Also, I work in a Dorset school WITCH, so I'll be interested to find out what you figure out.

[witch]

Right - I finally got an answer and will post it here as there are a few Dorset boys on the site:

Apparently, not that I have EVER been told this, ALL Dorset employees can claim back the cost of one eye test per year and your school office should have the forms.

If it turns out that you need glasses and it is likely that this is, in part at least, due to your job, then they will pay a percentage of the cost (the person I spoke to couldn't tell me how much, maybe it is on the form).

 

There you go

I'm off down the opticians