Our Aging Workforce and Aging Eyes

1/23/2017

Something very subtle appears to be taking place in the United States. That is, our workforce is aging. This “maturing” just didn’t happen overnight. Rather, through a number of paradigm shifts involving the US economy, we have seen the median age of the American worker rise. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that one in five people in the workplace are over the age of 55. In 1994, the median age of the U.S. employee was 37.7 years old. That number climbed to 40.3 years old by 2004 and to 41.9 years by 2014. By 2024, the median age of U.S. workers is expected to be 42.4 years old. Meanwhile, according to recent statistics, the average age for employees that work at DOE national laboratories is even higher (some locations have an average workforce age that is nearly 50). In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau has noted that currently, one-third of the total U.S. workforce is age 50 or older and the number of those workers will increase to 115 million by 2020.

Many analysts point to the recent economic recession as a reason why people are reluctant to retire due to the nest eggs of millions of Americans were either wiped out or notably diminished.

The story is different for younger Americans. The share of 20 to 24-year-olds who were in the workforce stood at 76.4% in 2002, fell to 70.9% in 2012 and is projected to drop to 67.3% in 2022. This would be the lowest rate since 1969. A major reason for their decreasing labor force participation was an increase in school attendance at all levels – thus reducing the share of those young adults participating in the workforce compared with previous generations.

A Pew Research analysis in Nov. 2012 found that a record share of young adults had finished both high school and college, reflecting in part the belief that a college degree is necessary to career success as well as to the extent to which younger adults decided to return to school when they couldn’t find opportunities in the job market during the recession.

So putting all these bits of information together, we can understand why our country’s workforce is maturing. Is this really a concern?  Well, the fact is, that as we age, we can begin to experience reduced visual capacity that can impact health and safety in the workplace. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), adults older than 40 are at risk for the development of eye and vision problems, including dry eye or eyestrain, macular degeneration, or glaucoma. Regardless of the ailment, impaired vision can make working safely a real challenge. However, as long as individuals seek medical assistance, such as going to an optometrist for an eye/vision exam so that their vision concerns can be corrected or seeking help from an ophthalmologist for such medical conditions as macular degeneration and glaucoma, impaired vision should not be the concern that it could become.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specializes in eye and vision care. They are trained to perform eye exams, diagnose and treat disease, prescribe medications and perform eye surgery. Optometrists are healthcare professionals who provide primary vision care ranging from sight testing and correction to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vision changes. An optometrist is not a medical doctor. However, an optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school.

But let’s not write off our senior workforce as being more prone to accidents. The fact is, older workers do offer an immeasurable benefit to corporate America. For instance, mature workers are the masters of their craft and therefore can offer years of experience and wisdom within their workplaces, providing critical mentorship to younger workers or to newly assigned employees. Understanding the incredible value of older employees, it’s important that their health and safety be supported to ensure a workforce meets its full potential. Safety strategies for personal protective equipment, therefore, must be implemented to address the needs of an aging workforce and to optimize worker effectiveness. An example is safety glasses. Standard safety glasses may not be adequate for older workers as they need proper prescription wear. However, through prescription safety glasses or using over-the-glasses safety glasses – a very inexpensive and practical way to provide eye protection to those that need to wear their standard eye glasses – appropriate eye protection is quite feasible.

Because proper vision is important to perform work safety and efficiently, employers need to be cognizant of ensuring the workforce of ALL ages maintain proper vision.  But, truth be told, as we age, vision concerns become more pronounced. Several common eye conditions experienced by aging workers can have a significant impact on worker health and safety:

• Presbyopia: Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens of the eye loses its ability to focus, making it difficult to see objects up close. As a result, some employees may experience eye fatigue or headaches while performing tasks that involve intricate work or reading. This condition primarily occurs after the age of 40 and contributes to the need for bifocal glasses. According to the National Eye Institute, it costs an average of $2,100 per year in lost productivity for every employee with eye strain, which can be a result of untreated or under-treated presbyopia.
• Cataracts: Another common vision-related problem is cataracts. Cataracts are cloudy areas in a portion of or on the lens of eyes. Typically, the lens of an eye is clear and allows light to pass through. Cataracts, however, keep light from easily passing through the lens, causing the loss of eyesight. If a cataract becomes too large, it can be surgically removed. While this is considered a relatively minor surgery, the presence of cataracts has the potential to affect workplace safety and performance significantly.
• Glaucoma: As one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, glaucoma can make it difficult for older employees to work because it reduces their vision. Glaucoma can damage vision gradually so that vision loss may not be noticed until the disease is at an advanced stage. An increase in pressure within the eye is usually, but not always, associated with the optic nerve damage that characterizes glaucoma. This decrease in vision can greatly impact worker safety.

But while these conditions can be serious and even compromise a persons’ ability to perform work safely, through the help of Human Resources and a Safety and Health staff, senior members of the workforce can offer an unmatched experience and maturity providing such benefits that can only be obtained through years of skill and practice; a valuable asset to any organization.

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today

Franklin D. Roosevelt