Should My Company Pay for Eye Sight Tests

The rules and regulations regarding your company paying for your eye test is dependant on the type of work you generally do.

You will know if your employer tends to be generous or not about workers issues, such as holiday pay, Christmas bonuses or how you get treated on your birthday. You can get an idea about how generous they are likely to be, or if you will have to keep pushing your point until you get heard.

We will look at the legal health and safety requirements as set out by the government, with your employee rights on the matter, but we will also talk about the reality of the situation in the workplace and how you can get what you are entitled to without looking like a petty employee.

It is generally accepted that the deciding factor in whether or not you can ask for your company to pay for or contribute to your eye test is dependant on the computer-based requirements of your normal job. It is not the case that every worker who uses a computer at work is entitled to a free eye test (paid for by their employers), but there are guidelines to advise if you may be entitled.

The Regulations

The Health and Safety Regulations Act 1992 state that workers that comply to particular circumstances are entitled to have an ‘appropriate test’ paid for by their employers, The circumstances are quite clear and while the term ‘appropriate test’ is not clearly defined, it is taken to mean a standard optician eye test.

The circumstances are focused on the computer-based requirements of your job, with length of time, type of work and regularity the key defining points. The Act mentions issues such as the employee needing to use a visual display unit (VDU) for continuous spells in periods of over one hour, where the transfer of information between the employee and their VDU is key to their job. Although the term VDU is commonly used, it refers to a computer screen.

The act also defines a number of computer husbandry issues that are the responsibility of both the employee and the employer. These include making sure there is no ‘unnecessary’ glare, perhaps by fitting an anti-glare screen, that the VDU and surrounding area is clean, and that the worker is at a suitable height and distance from the computer.

If You Are Entitled

If you think these regulatory guidelines match your circumstances, it is your responsibility to request your employer to pay for your eye test – they do not have a responsibility to offer it to you. You may also request a risk assessment of your work station – including adequate lighting and ventilation.

If you have an eye test and the optician says you need glasses for the sole purpose of working on the computer, you can ask your company to pay for or at least contribute to your glasses. However, if you need to have glasses for driving, reading or anything else too, your company is not required to pay or contribute.

Now that we have clarified what you are or are not entitled to, we ought to mention how this situation is more likely to work in practice. Many large companies are keen to make sure that they comply with regulations and what is required of them, in which case you can go to the HR department and request your eye test reimbursement.

However, if you work in a small company or one in which they are reluctant to pay, you may need to state your case a little clearer. You may also decide that the £20-30 cost of the eye test is not worth making a big deal out of, or to look for another employer that takes more care of their staff.