Optical Care

[SueEllen]

Hurrah, we agree


Are you now disagreeing with what you said at 10:48 this morning about your employer having to provide your glasses even if you need them for day to day?

I didn't say that.

One of the things I've learnt from having lawyer friends is that the interpretation you take from reading something is not neccessarily what the author wanted you to take from it. In the case of laws they are open to wide interpretation until there is a test case in a higher court.

The law states "special" corrective appliances and as far as I'm concerned that just means glasses. You may have interpreted it differently.

If you are long-sighted and don't wear your glasses all the time except for reading, or short-sighted and mostly wear contacts but suffer from drier eyes while working in front of a VDU it should be easier to convince an optician that you need new glasses to comply with the VDU regulations.

As most employers are not medical experts they are likely to go along with the opticians recommendations to comply with the Health and Safety law.

If you then decide to use the glasses for other things it's up to you. No employer has that right to pry that closely into your medical records.

BTW If you only wear glasses all the time then you will probably have difficulty convincing an optician to give you a pair just for VDU work if the prescriptions are the same.

[G8_Summit]

Eye test £20 at Boots, then send prescription to GlassesDirect.co.uk to get glasses for £15.

I made this mistake too - the glasses were crap and only lasted about 3 months before I had to replace them.

[blacjac]

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 make it clear that.........

In the case of laws they are open to wide interpretation until there is a test case in a higher court.


The law states "special" corrective appliances and as far as I'm concerned that just means glasses. You may have interpreted it differently.

So which is it SueEllen?
Is it clear or is it open to interpretation?

[SueEllen]

So which is it SueEllen?
Is it clear or is it open to interpretation?

Ever thought of being a journalist.

[blacjac]

Awww that's no fun, your not biting any more......

[TimberWolf]

If you are long-sighted and don't wear your glasses all the time except for reading, or short-sighted and mostly wear contacts but suffer from drier eyes while working in front of a VDU it should be easier to convince an optician that you need new glasses to comply with the VDU regulations.

Why go to an optician? Supermarkets sell positive lenses for about £20.

The myope (short-sighted) will have more of a difficulty since they will need underpowered minus lenses, and for that they would need a prescription.

[Sausage Surprise]

I only need glasses when working at my VDU. Since this is my business, then the glasses are wholly and exclusively...etc

For this reason NW agreed the cost of my specs to be tax deductible.

[SueEllen]

Why go to an optician? Supermarkets sell positive lenses for about £20.

Yeah but they are nasty.

Plus as you are complying with a Health and Safety law it's only right that you get an expert to say you need them - that way you can get some nice designer frames.

[TimberWolf]

To be honest I think it’s a good idea for everyone to wear glasses for long periods at a VDU. Being about -1.00 shortsighted is about right, so the eyes are in a relaxed state (looking to infinity) at about 1 metre. This would reduce eyestrain and ward off myopia in those with a predilection. Of course some opticians are still in the Stone Age when it comes to these things, so you may need to shop around for [a younger] expert that isn’t

[IR35 Avoider]

I made this mistake too - the glasses were carp and only lasted about 3 months before I had to replace them.

My two pairs are fine, a couple of years later, though to be fair the lenses in one pair are replacements from Boots, because of a mistake they made.