Over a third (38%) of British adults believe their vision has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic, but they have not taken steps to look after their eye health.
A global survey carried out by Johnson & Johnson Vision revealed insights about eye health, the pandemic, misconceptions about cataracts surgery, myopia and the connection between beauty and eye health.
The survey was completed online in July and August, 2021 and included over 16,000 adults aged 18 years or older, of which 2,001 were British respondents.
It was commissioned as part of the eye care company’s Prioritize Your Eyes campaign, which aimed to raise awareness about the importance of having an eye examination every two years.
Jakob Sveen, managing director for northern Europe and general manager for UK and Ireland at Johnson & Johnson Vision, said: ‘At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we are committed to changing the trajectory of eye health, which starts with getting people to take an eye test at least every two years.’
Findings from the UK revealed 88% of adults in Britain feared losing their sight more than any other sense, but 68% said they did not plan to book an eye exam in the year ahead.
Johnson & Johnson Vision noted having an eye exam was the single most important step to protecting eye health.
In the past year, 40% of respondents said they had an eye exam, which the company suggested was in part due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions.
However, a positive finding revealed 82% recognised that having an eye exam was important to their overall health. Johnson & Johnson Vision said this showed a gap between patients receiving the message and booking an appointment.
Sveen added: ‘This research shows that only one in four Brits have discussed the connection between eye health and other illnesses with a medical professional. With the Prioritize Your Eyes campaign and our annual eye health survey, our goal is to educate people about the importance of regularly going to the opticians for the sake of their vision and overall health.’
Eye health concerns
Johnson & Johnson highlighted a further disconnect between intention and action on eye health when respondents were asked about cataracts.
A total of 58% of Brits surveyed who had had cataract surgery said they would have had surgery sooner had they realised how much better their vision would be afterwards.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents also admitted to not realising how bad their vision was until they had cataract surgery.
When asked about children’s eye health, 74% of parents surveyed in the UK said it was more important for their child to have an eye exam than it was for themselves.
However, only 23% planned to schedule an appointment for their child in the coming year despite 57% of parents who said they were worried about their child having myopia.
Johnson & Johnson Vision noted that myopic children were at increased risk of sight-threatening eye disease later in life and regular eye examinations were the best way to combat myopia.
Survey respondents also indicated they were concerned about how their eyes make them look (23%) rather than their eye health.
For those with ageing eyes, 25% worried that wearing varifocal glasses would make them look old or would impact their self-confidence (29%).
However, only 43% know that multifocal contact lenses were available as an alternative to glasses.
Johnson & Johnson Vision concluded that eye examinations were the most effective way for people to protect their eyes and find a suitable treatment option that worked for them.