Always going to be a tricky one. Is it worth arguing over £20? The danger is that you set a precedence. Does the user have special optical needs to justify this - not sure how you ask that question though. We had one case where the voucher scheme delivered glasses that the user said weren't good enough so we paid £250 for ones from his optician. Does not seemed to have opened a can of worms yet. This question could equally apply to safety shoes so do you have a policy there that can be applied?

The employer has made adequate provision, and employees should be aware of those arrangements. Stick to your guns or you may find the flood gates opening!!!!

I have some sympathy here - my employer also has such a scheme with a high street provider and I have used them in the past but was not convinced that I was getting the same degree of expertise as my old optometrist. As a result of which I returned to my old optometrist and stood the loss of the value of the voucher. My choice. Sans faire rien.

Wonderful expression Bilbo which I have not heard for a long time, aka San Fairy Ann. Can apply to very many postings on this forum!! To respond to the original query I would find out what the employee's objection is to using your supplier before making any other response. It may be that there is a specific medical/optical reason why they want to keep with their own choice. In that case it may be appropriate to contribute the cost of a NHS eye test, although you could perhaps argue that if the employee's reason is not work related, tough.

Hi, This may help you from the DSE Regulations, Regulation 5 Employers’ liability for costs 85 The provision of eye and eyesight tests and of special corrective appliances under the DSE Regulations is at the expense of the user’s employer. This is the case even if the user works on other employers’ workstations. 86 The duty on employers is to provide a test where a user requests one. It is up to the employer to decide how to do this, whether by arranging for all their users to visit a particular optometrist or doctor nominated by the employer; by allowing users to make their own arrangements with optometrists and reimbursing the costs afterwards; by a voucher scheme; or any other means. 87 ‘Normal’ corrective appliances are at the user’s own expense, but users needing ‘special’ corrective appliances will be prescribed a special pair of spectacles for display screen work. Employers’ liability for the cost of these is restricted to payment of the cost of a basic appliance, ie of a type and quality adequate for the user’s work. Where bifocal or varifocal spectacles are prescribed as special corrective appliances (see caution at paragraph 83) the employer is required to meet the costs associated with providing a basic frame and the prescribed lenses. 88 If, however, users are permitted by their employers to choose spectacles to correct eye or vision defects for purposes which include the user’s work but go wider than that, employers need contribute only the costs attributable to the requirements of the job. 89 If users wish to choose more costly appliances (for example with designer frames, or lenses with optional treatments not necessary for the work), the employer is not obliged to pay for these. In these circumstances employers may either provide a basic appliance as above, or may opt to contribute a portion of the total cost of a luxury appliance equal to the cost of a basic appliance.

I think you are onto something here. Sometimes the most technically correct answer is not on balance the best answer. A good manager of H&S might be willing to go the extra mile here in the knowlege that is will improve the organisations overall safety culture and ensure they get an easy win elsewhere. Are you 65 already then, I thought you were far younger? Based on current projections, I expect to still be working 10 years after my death!

We have the rugby referees choice as our preferred opticians - they offer a discount on all sorts of their glasses. But we also state staff are able to have a eyetest at their preferred optician but we only pay for the test ourselves. On the prescription being presented if it purely relates to VDU specs we provide £30 towards these too. It still gives the options but makes it a little harder for the little darlings to use their own preferences. For Safety specs we ask for the wearer to provide evidence they have recently bought a pair of glasses and provide a voucher for single lens safety specs only. If they need varifocal they meet the difference.