The importance of employee vision tests

There are several different jobs that have certain vision requirements as part of the hiring process. It is important that employers, as well as employees, understand the importance of meeting these vision requirements, as safety is often the deciding factor.

Jobs where good vision is essential

Working as a police officer, in the fire and rescue fields, or as a commercial pilot are just a few of the many different careers where good vision is important. Drivers, whether they are taxis, buses, trucks, or any other vehicle, must have good vision and be able to correctly discern distances, as well as objects in their peripheral vision.

Visual acuity tends to be the aspect of vision that is most frequently considered and assessed. Specialists will often use an eye chart to determine this, examining one eye at a time. Although your eyes work together as a means of providing your overall visual acuity, each eye may have a different strength. Traditional paper tests are still used in many places, but computerized tests are becoming more and more common.

This type of employee eye test can clear up a number of potential vision problems, including myopia and astigmatism. Of course, there could also be a number of other problems with the eyes, including things like cataracts or macular degeneration. Therefore, having your eyes tested by Human Kapital will give you the best results and can detect problems early.

However, you should also think about some other aspects of your vision, such as color blindness. There are certain jobs where being color blind can prevent you from getting a job. In Australia, even if you have great visual acuity, you cannot become a commercial pilot if you are color blind.

Working as an electrician is also prohibited. Normal color vision is very important as electricians have to deal with color-coded wires all the time. It could be very dangerous for someone who is color blind to work in this field.

Judging distance and depth is also very important. The human brain has the ability to perceive a three-dimensional world, and it can then use a series of visual cues as a means of judging distance and depth. While serious problems with distance and depth perception are rare, it can occur and therefore should be evaluated in certain occupations.

Why do employers need to test vision?

When developing vision standards for a job, it is essential that employers consider what visual demands, if any, might exist on the job. Consider the various tasks of the job and then determine how important different aspects of the vision are to each of them. By evaluating all aspects of the job, the employer can develop precise vision requirements.

Employers will also need to consider how often this aspect of their employees should be evaluated, as well as who will conduct the evaluations. In those cases, where poor or compromised vision could cause danger to the employee, her colleagues, or anyone else, it is generally a good idea to have the evaluation performed by a specialist, such as an optometrist.

As mentioned, safety is commonly one among the foremost cited reasons when it involves vision testing for various kinds of employment. No one would like the idea of being in a vehicle with a driver who has low visual acuity, for example. They know it could be potentially dangerous.

The test will provide the employer with the information it needs regarding the employee's vision, and can then determine whether it is safe for him or her to continue or be hired for that particular job.

Those who need to undergo a vision test for their job, or potential workplace, should take the time to make an appointment. Checking your vision now will give you an indicator of whether your vision is good enough for the career you'd like, or if it might need some kind of correction first. Contact Human Kapital for more info.