Celina Burns.

SAN ANTONIO— Davis Vision announced yesterday that it has signed a contract to provide vision coverage for the United Auto Workers (UAW) Retiree Medical Benefits Trust, the largest non-governmental purchaser of retiree health care benefits in the U.S., responsible for providing health care benefits to more than 755,000 UAW retirees and dependents from General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Davis Vision will provide vision coverage, including eye exams and eyewear, for over 590,000 eligible UAW GM and Chrysler retirees and dependents.

Davis Vision has provided eye health and wellness programs to unions for over 50 years and coverage for various UAW-represented active employees and retirees for over 20 years, according to an announcement from the managed vision care company.

Celina Burns, president of Davis Vision, said, “We feel privileged to partner with the Trust. At Davis Vision, we view this relationship and our role in caring for the eye health needs of UAW retirees as an honor. As one of the largest vision benefit providers for labor union organizations, covering over 3.5 million members, Davis Vision is well aligned to meet the needs of the UAW Trust’s GM and Chrysler retirees.”

Davis Vision, along with Visionworks of America (the country’s fourth largest optical retailer, according to Vision Monday’s Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers), are divisions of HVHC Inc., which is a part of the Diversified Businesses unit of Highmark Health. Davis Vision serves more than 57 million vision care consumers with eyecare programs nationwide through a provider network of optometrists, ophthalmologists, and dispensing locations at more than 44,000 points of access, in both private and retail settings. Eligible UAW retirees and their dependents will be able to access eyecare and eyewear from Visionworks locations as well as other national providers throughout the country, a Davis Vision spokesperson told VMail.