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Safety eyewear is estimated to be a $140 million market and provides eyecare professionals an opportunity to boost their bottom line with a specialized service. To ensure eyecare professionals can learn about opportunities in the safety eyewear sector, Essilor’s SightProfect (https://www.sight-protect.com/en/providers) was created in 2021 “to simplify the implementation of safety eyewear within practices and equip ECPs with the best prescription safety eyewear options,” the company said.





“SightProtect was born of a need to simplify safety prescription eyewear to maximize practice efficiency and unlock this profitable revenue stream for practices,” said Tory Olson, director of safety at Essilor. “The program provides access to our industry-leading technologies and brands and creates efficiency through end-to-end online management and standardized safety benefit plans. SightProtect provides eyecare professionals a turnkey safety eyewear solution and drives incremental patients directly to participating practices.”

In a work setting where precision and visual clarity are key to safety, ensuring employees are fitted with the best visual solutions is critical. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median age for manufacturing employees is 44 years old, which means many safety patients are squarely in the presbyopic age range. Olson points out, “They require Varilux lenses to experience the best vision at any distance. Varilux is the number one recommended progressive lens by optometrists and opticians. They, along with Essilor’s complete portfolio of advanced lens designs such as Crizal No-Glare and Eyezen enhanced single vision lenses, are available in safety eyewear through the SightProtect program.”

SightProtect, the company said, also drives local employees and their families to provider practices, through employer programs and their dedicated practice locator, and unlocks opportunity for increased revenue through second pair sales. It is estimated that up to 30 percent of safety employees purchase an additional pair of eyewear at the same eyecare provider location, Essilor said.

“The last three years have seen massive and widespread disruptions to supply chains and the global economy—which has impacted all corners of our industry. Practices have struggled with staffing shortages and profitability and need partners who can bring simplicity and impact their bottom line,” Olson said.

“As we’ve all seen, there is sustained demand for labor in the fields which are likely to require safety eyewear. Even in the last several months, we are seeing increasingly positive signs in the safety eyewear market. As demand continues to increase, SightProtect participating practices are well positioned to capitalize on demand while providing superior visual protection and patient care within their local communities,” Olson concluded.