Office workers union calls for better eye care rights

Unison, the UK's biggest trade union, has called for employers to provide office workers who require vision correction with a larger allowance for spectacles as well as paid time off to attend eye tests.

'Regulations need to go slightly further,' said Unison's head of health and safety, Robert Baughan. 'At present employers need only meet the cost of a basic adequate pair of glasses. Unison believes that if a test shows a worker needs corrective spectacles, the employer should meet reasonable costs.'

The comments came in response to the results of a study conducted by the College of Optometrists which showed that 38 per cent of eligible workers were unaware that they could ask their employers to pay for an eye test if they use a computer screen or electronic till at work.