The Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation 1992 stipulates that habitual users of computers at work should have regular eye tests paid for by their employer, and that if they need spectacles solely for the visual display unit (VDU) they should also be provided by the employer.
Some employers are understandably reluctant to pay for all their VDU users to have an eyetest when they are not experiencing any difficulties. This is why Martyn Kemp Opticians invested in a Vision Screener. This screener measures your vision at 3 different distances, assesses whether you have a muscle imbalance between your eyes which can cause eyestrain, plus a few other tests.
We are able to use this screener at your place of work and currently we are visiting businesses and screening all their employees whether they are VDU users or not FREE OF CHARGE. Those who "fail" are then referred for a full eye examination to any one of our branches. We have 10 in the Sheffield and Rotherham area - so there should be one close to where you live or work. The employer is obliged to pay for this examination for the VDU workers.
Special rates can be negotiated with our general manager Ron Dolman on 0114 2313778. This screening is very popular with employers as they can be seen to be providing their employees with a service for which they do not have to pay and also at the same time they are fulfilling a legal obligation.
There are very few people who need a specific spectacle prescription for the VDU- usually their normal distance or reading glasses will suffice. However people who wear bifocals very often experience neck-ache if they have to tilt their head back to view the screen through the bifocal part of their specs: so they would be eligible for specs solely for the VDU, as would people for whom the screen is out of focus with both their distance and reading glasses ie: they require an intermediate prescription.
In our experience less than 5% of VDU users who wear glasses require this specific pair of specs. It is for these people that the employer has to provide VDU spectacles. We can supply a basic pair of VDU specs for less than £45 and if the wearer wishes to upgrade then they pay the difference themselves. So if you're on the computer a lot at work get your boss to phone Ron, and if there are only a few of you in the office give him a ring anyway and we might be able to manage a small-group discount.
|
