An online survey of 1,002 UK adults, carried out in August on behalf of Johnson & Johnson Vision, has revealed a snapshot of UK adults’ views on eyecare and eye health.
Released ahead of World Sight Day on 8 October, the survey was conducted as part of the company’s Prioritize Your Eyes campaign to raise awareness about the importance of eye health and encourage annual eye examinations.
Eighty-six per cent of respondents said they viewed an eye examination as important for their overall health; 70 per cent recognised that healthy vision improved overall quality of life; 67 per cent said eye examinations helped prevent vision problems. A third (34 per cent) of respondents said they had an eye examination each year, while 55 per cent believed that they did enough to protect their eyes.
Other survey insights found that:
• The majority of respondents (78 per cent) reported they knew an eye examination could help diagnose early signs of chronic diseases; 21 per cent of respondents were surprised to learn this
• Fifty-five per cent of respondents were aware that there was a relationship between their eye health and other illnesses, and that eye examinations could help detect other medical issues such as diabetes (38 per cent), high blood pressure (33 per cent), cancer (20 per cent), or high cholesterol (17 per cent)
Reasons for not getting an annual eye exam included:
• Their vision hadn’t changed (31 per cent)
• Covid-19 was the second biggest factor in delaying eyecare this year, with 19 per cent of respondents reluctant or unable to schedule an eye examination due to the pandemic; 18 per cent had their eye appointments cancelled due to the pandemic
• Eighteen per cent of respondents said that eye exams were “too expensive”
“At Johnson & Johnson Vision, we are committed to meeting unmet needs in eye health, especially around awareness and access – the two biggest barriers to care,” said Jakob Sveen, managing director for Northern Europe and general manager for the UK and Ireland, Johnson & Johnson Vision. “This survey has uncovered new insights and opportunities around how we, as an eye health community, can help people to prioritise their eyes by getting an annual eye exam.”
Additional survey insights found that:
• Forty-six per cent of respondents believed they could prevent their eyesight from deteriorating, while 48 per cent thought vision loss was a part of the ageing process that they had no control over
• Thirty-eight per cent of respondents recognised that having healthy vision led to improved brain health, while 31 per cent thought it was critical for healthy development in children
• More than half (57 per cent) recognised healthy vision could help avoid trips and falls, particularly in old age