VSP Global covers all aspects of the vision care market, providing eye tests, manufacturing and distributing glasses and lenses, as well providing eye care insurance.
Its UK offering sees employees offered an allowance of a certain spend on VSP eye tests, glasses and other vision products, with a typical charge in the region of £2.50 per employee per month.
Commission is 10 per cent initial and 10 per cent renewal, with net-rated premiums available for fee-based advisers.
The provider soft-launched last year through UK arms of US parent companies.
VSP says two million people in the UK have sight loss, over 50 per cent of which could be avoided through proper care.
The provider, which is based in California and which has 60m customers in the US, has partnered with Google for the roll-out of its Google Glass computerised glasses, which are expected to come to market at the end of 2014.
VSP is also active in targeting new solutions in the delivery of eye and other healthcare. It predicts tech solutions such as smartphone app-based eye scans and eyecare needs assessments could become part of corporate optical solutions within three to five years.
It is also researching telemedicine solutions that could see blood pressure, pulse and other biometric data harvested through glasses and other products.
VSP Vision Care in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will be overseen by managing director Jeremy Chadwick.
VSP Vision Care president Jim McGrann says: “VSP provides a vision that helps people see clearly, while also supporting their overall health. Our clients have been asking us to bring our benefit offering here, and we are excited to have a quality product in the UK that addresses the needs of our clients and members.
“Many chronic conditions can be detected early through an eye examination, allowing a person and their employer to avoid cost and significant lost productivity issues related to these diseases. 500,000 working days are lost each year through diabetes alone, in the UK.”
Master Adviser independent financial adviser Roy McLoughlin says: “It is excellent news that the largest vision care provider in the US is expanding in the UK. The more choice that advisers have when talking to employers about their employee benefit options, the better. The VSP vision care proposition, where any surplus is reinvested back into the company to increase access to eye care, is likely to be well received by UK employers.”
