Getting routine eye examinations can boost employee productivity and ultimately the employer's bottom line. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Are you talking about vision benefits when reviewing your client's overall health package? It may be an afterthought, but a vision benefit is a valuable asset to include in your benefit plan. Here are five ways to get the conversation going with your clients.

1. Employees want it! According to the 2016 Annual Employee Perceptions of Vision Benefits survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Transitions Optical, eight in 10 people chose to enroll in employer-sponsored vision plans. The survey also found that it's the only benefit to experience a year-over-year increase in enrollment.

Related: Dental and vision trends focus on preventive health

2. It boosts productivity for employers. Employers gain as much as $7 for every $1 they spend on vision coverage. This is according to a study by doctors Kent Daum and Katherine Clore who further deduce that minor vision problems can reduce employee productivity by up to 20 percent. Workers with impaired vision may take longer time in completing projects. So, getting routine eye examinations can boost employee productivity and ultimately the employer's bottom line.

3. Myopia (nearsightedness) is a growing health and economic concern. Forty two percent of the U.S. population is affected by myopia. A comprehensive eye examination can identify myopia; treatment is typically as simple as a pair of prescription eyeglasses. However, a pair of eyeglasses can get expensive. According to the National Association of Vision Care plans, the average cost of eyeglasses (lenses and frames) is nearly $263. Having a vision benefit can either eliminate or significantly reduce this cost for members.

4. Children learn better with clearer vision. Your clients care about their members' children. A study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) links uncorrected farsightedness (Hyperopia) in preschoolers to a lag in reading skills. Learning for many children begins in these formative preschool years. According to the National Eye Institute, it's estimated that 4 to 14 percent of preschoolers have moderate hyperopia (farsightedness), which often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Early intervention could lead to greater achievements later in children's educational careers.

5. Eye exams can be a prevention and detection tool. Ocular health has been determined by scientists and physicians to be a key indicator in detecting early stages of health risks in certain conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, eye cancer, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma.

NVA analyzed a sample of its 2017 ICD-10 diagnosis codes and discovered that a significant proportion were for non-ocular systemic diagnoses. The main systemic conditions discovered in this data were diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (heart disease and diabetes alone cost the U.S. $564 billion per year). Early identification of patients with signs of chronic disease drives early intervention, improving quality of life and reducing healthcare expenditures for plan sponsors.

It's clear that members want a vision benefit and that employer groups can improve productivity ad save money by offering a vision option. Open enrollment is the ideal time to implement a vision benefit.

Learn more about vision benefits:

• Study: Employees with vision benefits tend to use them
• Why vision benefits matter to your employees
• Younger workers not seeing the importance of vision benefits

Dr. Carl Moroff is EVP and Chief Vision Officer at National Vision Administrators (NVA). Moroff is a managed vision care veteran with nearly 40 years of experience in the vision and eye care field.