UnitedHealthcare Targets Children’s Eye Health, New Vision Benefits

UnitedHealthcare has introduced added benefits to their Children’s Eye Care Program that will help young people reduce their exposure to blue light and support their overall eye health after months of remote learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced some unique eye health challenges for young people. According to Eyesafe and UnitedHealthcare’s Screen Time 2020 Report, 94 percent of eye care providers surveyed are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the impact of screen time on their patients’ eyes.

UnitedHealthcare noted that some people now spend over 13 hours a day in front of a screen as of March 2020, up from an average of 10 hours a day in September 2019 and about 8 hours a day in September of 2018 based on Eyesafe research. As these numbers steadily increase, so does the concern of digital eye strain, especially for children’s still-developing eyes.

To address this, UnitedHealthcare now offers enhanced vision benefits for dependents under the age of 19 who are enrolled in eligible employer-sponsored plans. The additional vision benefits include standard and premium anti-reflective coating on eyewear at no additional cost to the member.

“Digital eye strain due in part to increased screen time is becoming a more significant issue for many Americans, including professionals working remotely and students engaged in distance learning,” explained John Ryan, general manager of UnitedHealthcare Vision.

Digital eye strain is caused by prolonged use of computers, smartphones, or tablets and can cause symptoms like dry, watery, sore, or tired eyes, sore neck, shoulder, and back muscles, as well as headaches. UnitedHealthcare noted that digital eye strain may affect more than 50 percent of computer users, according to BMJ Open Ophthalmology.

“We are taking a comprehensive approach to help our more than 20 million vision members and Americans nationwide to reduce their exposure to blue light, enhancing our whole-person approach to health benefits and vision care,” added Ryan. 

In addition to the enhanced benefits for eligible members, UnitedHealthcare will donate $20,000 to each of the following school districts: Green Bay Area Public Schools (WI), Dallas Independent School District (TX), DeSoto Parish School Board (LA), and Seminole County Public Schools (FL). These funds will be used to help meet the eye health and educational needs of students through the purchase of laptops with blue-light filtering technology.

To help further the conversation on digital eye strain, UnitedHealthcare and Eyesafe hosted the Blue Light Summit On October 15 which brought together world leaders from health care and consumer electronics to discuss the relationships between screen time, blue light, and eye health.

The payer also hosted a separate webinar on October 13 for school administrators, teachers, parents, employers, and all consumers to provide information on how to reduce blue light exposure during this period of widespread virtual learning.

This isn’t the first effort UnitedHealthcare has made to promote vision benefits during COVID-19. In May, UnitedHealthcare partnered with GlassesUSA.com to provide members with the option to browse thousands of brands and styles of eyewear online. 

If members are not sure of their prescription, they can scan their current pair of glasses using the online platform’s scanner which will identify the prescription for them. Members can also try out different glasses styles with a virtual mirror.

Members on UnitedHealth Group’s employer-sponsored health plans or individual health insurance market vision plans are can access this benefit for a copay of around $25.

“People are increasingly looking to access health care resources remotely, so this new network relationship offers UnitedHealthcare plan participants improved convenience and affordability while shopping for eyewear online,” said John Ryan, general manager of UnitedHealthcare Vision.

“Through an interactive experience offered by GlassesUSA.com, our members can shop for — and virtually try on — thousands of pairs of house brands and designer eyewear from the comfort of their homes,” he continued.