Prescription safety eyewear made easy with uvex's online ordering system

The disruptive impact of COVID and the imposed changes on many facets of day-to-day life will have repercussions for the foreseeable future. Some changes are more critical than others specifically the ease, or difficulty, of access to healthcare professionals including Doctors, Dentists and Opticians.

Multiple “lockdowns” and distancing measures have severely reduced access to the High Street where most Opticians are located. Many people who require safety prescription eyewear either for the first time, for replacement, or where the 2-year validity of their prescription has lapsed, await their protective eyewear. This, of course, poses a problem to employers that take seriously their responsibility to provide appropriate PPE.

uvex, a leading provider of safety prescription eyewear delivered from its UK manufacturing source, supports and facilitates the interface between the employer/wearer, the Optician, and the essential PPE.

As the economy recovers and the pursuit of productivity increases, the provision of appropriate PPE remains critical, so the combination of market-leading service and quality levels from uvex, actively supports businesses and wearers alike. Before describing this support in more detail, let’s remind ourselves of precisely why SIGHT is our most important sense.

Eyes are one of the most important but also the most vulnerable, parts of the body. Roughly 80 percent of our sensory impressions are registered through our eyes which can absorb 10 million pieces of information per second - which are processed by our brain and translate into action and response.* But our eyes are vulnerable to injury as well as the aging process - deserving of the best protection.

Many of us will have missed our regular check-up due to opticians being temporarily closed or a reluctance to visit due to the proximity in which tests take place, but today access has significantly improved. Playing “catch-up” is vital because our eyes can reveal the early indicators for diseases such as glaucoma, diabetes and cataracts, which, if detected and treated early enough, can reduce the risk and scope of impaired vision.

Wearing glasses with an out-of-date prescription can also have a negative impact on our eyesight and in an industrial workplace where visual accuracy is essential, there could be an increased risk of injury to individuals or those around them.

Risk assessment is the key determinant in defining appropriate PPE and where there is risk of impact it is vital that safety prescription eyewear comprises lenses made of polycarbonate. All too often, through error or lack of awareness, employees are provided with “safety prescription” eyewear comprising lenses made from CR39 plastic (the norm for non-safety corrective eyewear), which do not fulfil the requirements for impact protection within the EN 166 norm. This exposes the wearer to risk and the employer to the possibility of litigation and reputational damage and this is risk that can be easily avoided.

The majority of workplace eye injuries result from flying objects, such as chips, particles, sand and dirt, or falling or swinging objects, such as chains, while splash contact with hazardous chemicals is another significant cause of injury. Mechanics, woodworkers, masons, plumbers, assemblers, sanders, grinding machine operators, welders and labourers are amongst the groups of workers most vulnerable to eye injuries. Undertaking a risk assessment will help identify the requirement for goggles and/or full-face visors - certified to EN166, for environments where objects moving up to 120 meters per second and should be regarded as the mandatory option for those using high power tools such as nail guns or angle grinders.

It is believed that as much as 25% of the working population require prescription eyewear and where indicated, safety prescription eyewear. The pent-up demand for sight tests, which are the first stage in the process to provide people with a customised safety prescription eyewear solution, may take time to be satisfied but it is one of the many factors where the uvex prescription eyewear service can be used to fulfil demand in a timely and effective manner.

The user-friendly, web-based system helps with the selection and ordering of safety and non-safety prescription eyewear for employees. The automated system can be set up by uvex for organisations of all sizes, and numerous accounts and passwords can be created for multi-site companies. It can be programmed to only display pre-agreed frame and lens options based on workplace hazards. An Authorising Officer can create an order and issue approval for the employee to proceed with an eye-test.

Once the employee has visited the optician, spectacles are manufactured by uvex, keeping costs and lead-times down. Unlike voucher systems, the uvex system invoices on an order-by-order basis through the existing PPE provider meaning there is no need to set up a new account.

uvex’s simple-to-understand, three-tier pricing structure details prices for single vision, bifocal and varifocal lenses, as well as competitively priced extras such as anti-reflective and anti-fog coatings, transition lenses, or sun glare tints. This way, there are no hidden costs when the employee visits the optician - approval for any extra costs is always sought before the company is invoiced.

Authorising officers can create and track the status of an order as it progresses quickly and efficiently through the manufacturing process, to being despatched to the optician and finally invoiced. In addition, Authorising Officers can easily track and review historical data on the issue of safety prescription eyewear and run reports as required. This can act as a prompt for managers to ensure employees stay on top of their eye health and reduce the risk of compromised vision becoming a risk factor in the workplace.

uvex offers a choice of metal, plastic and wraparound frame styles in single vision, bifocal or varifocal for safety or office use. All frames come with scratch-resistant coatings, a slip-in spectacle case and a lens cleaning cloth.

Risk assessment is the key determinant in defining appropriate PPE and where there is risk of impact it is vital that safety prescription eyewear comprises lenses made of polycarbonate. All too often, through error or lack of awareness, employees are provided with “safety prescription” eyewear comprising lenses made from CR39 plastic (the norm for non-safety corrective eyewear), which do not fulfil the requirements for impact protection within the EN 166 norm. This exposes the wearer to risk and the employer to the possibility of litigation and reputational damage and this is risk that can be easily avoided.

The majority of workplace eye injuries result from flying objects, such as chips, particles, sand and dirt, or falling or swinging objects, such as chains, while splash contact with hazardous chemicals is another significant cause of injury. Mechanics, woodworkers, masons, plumbers, assemblers, sanders, grinding machine operators, welders and labourers are amongst the groups of workers most vulnerable to eye injuries. Undertaking a risk assessment will help identify the requirement for goggles and/or full-face visors - certified to EN166, for environments where objects moving up to 120 meters per second and should be regarded as the mandatory option for those using high power tools such as nail guns or angle grinders.

It is believed that as much as 25% of the working population require prescription eyewear and where indicated, safety prescription eyewear. The pent-up demand for sight tests, which are the first stage in the process to provide people with a customised safety prescription eyewear solution, may take time to be satisfied but it is one of the many factors where the uvex prescription eyewear service can be used to fulfil demand in a timely and effective manner.

The user-friendly, web-based system helps with the selection and ordering of safety and non-safety prescription eyewear for employees. The automated system can be set up by uvex for organisations of all sizes, and numerous accounts and passwords can be created for multi-site companies. It can be programmed to only display pre-agreed frame and lens options based on workplace hazards. An Authorising Officer can create an order and issue approval for the employee to proceed with an eye-test.

About uvex group
The uvex group brings together three globally active companies under one roof: the uvex safety group, the uvex sports group (with uvex sports and Alpina Sports), and Filtral. The uvex group is represented in 22 countries by 48 subsidiaries but chooses to do most of its manufacturing in Germany and Europe. Two thirds of the company’s 2.600-strong workforce (as at FY 2016/2017) is employed in Germany. uvex is a global partner to international elite sport and equips a host of top athletes. The motto protecting people is at the heart of the company’s activities. uvex group develops, manufactures and distributes products and services for the safety and protection of people at work, in sport and for leisure pursuits.