4 ways vision benefits are a recruitment and retention tool

Workforce eye health is getting worse. In fact, 63% of workers have at least one eye issue—up from 50% last year—according to research performed by VSP® Vision Care in partnership with Workplace Intelligence for their 2025 report. That means if you were to have a meeting with two other people in your office or on Zoom, it’s statistically likely that two of you might have at least one eye issue, such as blurred vision, dry or itchy eyes, or eye strain.

As common as eye issues are, the prevalence of vision care is slightly less so. Only 28% of employees working for private industries in the U.S. had access to eye care benefits through employer-sponsored healthcare plans in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, among the companies surveyed by VSP that don’t offer vision coverage, 96% plan to add this benefit, the majority of which plan to do so within the next year.

VSP’s research also indicates that, in contrast, vision benefits are highly sought after by employees, with 93% saying it’s important for their employer to offer the benefit. Beyond giving employees what they want, further data reveals how vision benefits can be a lucrative recruitment and retention tool in four key ways.