Hi Dawn,

Not sure what the best option is, but their is a few things you should ensure in your policy to avoid problems down the line.

First, the requirements is to have a DSE Use Eye Test - not a full eye test. However, most standard eye test include a DSE use aspect. As you suggest the typical price for an eye test is £20-£25 so offer to reemburse to £25 seem whole fair.

As for cost of glasses - you are only required to fund a basic, single focus lens pair of glasses. There is absolutely no requirement to take 'style' or personnal preference into consideration. Also, if someone already wears glasses for a non-DSE based reason, you are not required to contribute to the purchasing of their 'normal' glasses. However, if they need a seperate pair for DSE then you need to fund these the same.

It should be noted that anyone who normally wears bi or varied focal glasses shouldn't really wear them for DSE use - they should have single focus lens . They actually encourage incorrect use of equipment by people not looking straight ahead during inputing. But this is big can of worms nobody really wants to open!!

Its doesn't help you but the sooner this completely out of date and innapropriate for the current situation piece of legislation is repealed or fundamentally re-written the better.  DSE wasn't deserving of a specific piece of legislation at the time and in the modern world the requirements are largely a nonsense.

The eye test and glasses bit came from the basic premise in the '80s that DSE use would by nature be infrequent and prolonged use would damage eyesight therefore glasses as PPE should be mandated.  

The modern world is an entirely different place.

To be honest in my business we have VERY few requests for DSE eyetests/glasses.  Those that do, in the belief they can get someting for nothing, quickly withdraw their request when it is pionted out that the glasses will be specifically prescribed to the focal length appropriate for DSE use, will be bottom of the range single vision glasses AND as the glasses constitue PPE will then be mandatory to be worn at all times when using DSE.

Obviously prescription safety specs are supplied in full when required.

We used to have a vouchers scheme that worked at all Boots opticians, all Dolland and Aitchison and some others.  While it did that, it worked well.  However, fewer and fewer opiticans supported it and now it's necesary to travel for miles to find an optician that does (in my case - about 12 miles, when there are three opticians within 800m of my house).

Therefore, we've changed to making payments.  Until recently we paid up to £25 for a test every two years and up to £25 towards cost of glasses if (but only if) the optician said glasses were needed for DSE.  That does cover teh costs, if you choose teh cheapest frames and no fancy treatments on the lenses (last I checked).

After some debate, and some reluctance by opticians to play along with our paperwork and forms, we've decided to just set a flat rate and now allow anyone to claim for eyetests and glasses up to a limit of £100 total in any two years period.  There's less admin time at our end because the payroll system can just wave through any claims below the limit, with no tracking of vouchers, approvals, etc.  We apply this worldwide (equivalent sums in local currency) though none of the other countries we operate in have equivalent statutory requirements.

I find single vision lenses vastly preferable for screen use than varifocals.  I wear varifocals all the time except when working at the computer, and have a set of single vision which remain at each computer I use.  I find single vision lenses let me look across the whole expanse of all my screens with much less head-movement than when wearing the varifocals. I don't touch-type properly, but I don't look at the keyboard all the time I'm typing.

I would look into a voucher scheme, however most Opticians do offers or free tests.  In companies ive worked for previously its been a  contribution of upto £50 if glasses are needed specifically for VDY/DSE use and no designer frames etc

Andrew

Both Vison Express and Specsavers offer voucher schemes that seem to work well. We have used them for years without any real issues. You pay for Specsavers vouchers in advance. They are replaced FOC if they expire. Vision Express only invoice when the voucher is redeemed. Anyone who wants to use a different optician can claim back the cost of a voucher on expenses. Very few do as the schemes work with options for a second pair at Specsavers for not a lot extra. There are plenty of branches around so travelling isn't an issue. 

Edited by user 28 July 2022 11:09:36(UTC)  | Reason: Typo

We simply refund the cost of the both the test if required and the glasses provided, should they be necessary.  It is quite simple for us as we have a workforce of around fifty who are spread across three depots.  We just tell them to get a receipt and we will refund them the money!!  We do this for a lot of stuff, for example if someone wants different safety boots, we get them to source them and them we refund them likewise we pay for our employees who don't qualify for a free seasonal flu vaccination so they pay and we refund.  It works well and is totally uncomplicated!!