Eye Care

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Americans Know the Value of Vision Care, yet Don’t Receive Regular Eye Exams

A recent study conducted by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care revealed a gap between attitude and behavior toward eye care, which may prevent those who are at high risk of certain eye conditions from seeking treatment.

Results show that 94 percent of respondents agree that maintaining proper vision is a priority to them and 74 percent agree that vision care is as important as diabetes or high blood pressure. However, 14 percent say they do not have a regular eyecare professional, 25 percent say it has been more than two years since their last eye exam. Additionally, 35 percent of parents report that their child has never seen an eyecare professional.

The study was conducted among over 3,700 adults from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Caucasians. A summary of important findings from each ethnic group is as follows:

Hispanics
- 27 percent strongly agree worsening vision is a concern
- 43 percent have not seen an eyecare professional in the last year
Asian-Americans

94 percent agree proper vision care is a priority
36 percent do not get an eye exam unless they have trouble seeing

Caucasians

71 percent agree people should get an eye exam annually
25 percent have not seen an eyecare professional in the past two years

African-Americans

72 percent strongly agree proper vision care is a priority
50 percent strongly agree eyecare is as important as other health issues
25 percent have not seen an eyecare professional in the past two years

“Like many diseases, vision problems can disproportionately affect certain ethnic groups,” said Dr. Dan Desrivieres, president of the National Optometric Association. “Seeing an eyecare professional regularly may not only assess your vision and need for updated prescriptions, it may also help identify and lead to a diagnosis of other health concerns such as hypertension and diabetes.”

To see if you are at risk of any vision problems, take the Sight Saver Quiz located at the bottom right of the screen. To make an appointment with an eye doctor in your area, use Check Yearly’s Doctor Locator to the left.