Posted By Andy Man My company's policy when an employee needs glasses for DSE use is to pay for the cost of the eye test plus up to £50 for corrective lenses. This has been queried by an employee, as the cost of his lenses (from the company's approved optician) has come out at over £100. I would have thought that an employer would be obliged to pay for the WHOLE cost of lenses, where the optician has confirmed that they are needed for DSE use. Can anyone confirm?

Posted By Bob Youel You duties go beyond the supply of lenses! and you need to manage where your employees go I reduced one employers costs from a £65.00 contribution to £35.00 per pair of spectacles [not just lenses!] whilst maintaining quality and acceptability Initially employees were allowed to go where they wanted, where now they go to a perfectly good supplier of services where their costs reflect that they do not advertise on the TV nor are there any 2 for 1 offers [We all know there are no free lunches nor free spectacles] The supplier in this case does not undertake the examination / test they just supply the glasses as per the needs of the opticians report so the £35.00 only pays for the glasses Involve and educate the employees in the process and move on from there noting that you pay more for the plastic frames [that really cost very very little] than the lens! My research revealed that the real cost of a pair of glasses for DSE use by the average person are surprisingly low whilst the profit margin is high! Don't make the mistake of one company where they chose the colours of the frames [Blue] where most of the workforce were Red supporters and wondered why people were not wearing the glasses supplied! best of luck

Posted By Alan Hoskins Andy, My understanding is that the employer has to pay for an eye test (not an eyesight test) and any required middle-distance prescription basic spectacles. Alan

Posted By ClaireL I think the key here is the 'DSE' use. My understanding is that something small like 1% (don't quote me on that) of the population would require glasses JUST for DSE use. The employer only has to pay for glasses specific to DSE use. Therefore if someone needs glasses anyway for general use (but including DSE use) the company is not liable for the cost. Although many do contribute anyway. Also remember the company only has to pay for a basic model. No fancy protective coatings or designer frames.