In Case C-392/21, the European Court of Justice considered the claims of a Romanian civil servant working for the Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări (General Inspectorate for Immigration), who experienced a significant deterioration in his eyesight due to prolonged use of a computer screen. Following a medical recommendation, the worker purchased corrective spectacles specifically for screen work and requested reimbursement from his employer.
The employer argued that such expenses were not covered under Romanian law. As a result, the case was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to interpret Directive 90/270/EEC (‘the Directive’), which governs the minimum health and safety requirements for work with display screen equipment.
The Court provided a clear interpretation of the employer’s obligation to provide workers with a ‘special corrective appliance’.
What are ‘special corrective appliances’?
The term refers to corrective appliances that are specifically linked to work with display screen equipment. This includes spectacles, provided they are intended to correct or prevent visual problems that are directly related to such work and are deemed necessary following the ophthalmological examinations required by the Directive.
To What Extent Is an Employer Obliged to Provide Special Corrective Appliances?
This obligation can be fulfilled either by:
- Directly providing the appliance to the worker, or
- Reimbursing the necessary expenses incurred by the worker.
However, the Court clarified that this obligation is not satisfied by simply paying a general salary supplement, as such payments are not intended to cover the specific costs incurred by the worker for acquiring spectacles.
Therefore, an employer’s responsibility does not begin and end with providing a desk and a screen. It extends to ensuring that the entire digital working environment supports the worker’s health and safety—including vision care when required.
