It doesn’t matter if you’ve had vision problems and have needed prescription glasses for as long as you can remember, or if you’re an adult and you’re just experiencing blurred vision for the first time — it can feel very frustrating when you have vision problems, simply because we depend on our eyes so much, and it can feel like you’re the only one struggling with it.
But you might just be surprised by the numbers behind modern-day eyecare and eyewear products…
- Millions of Americans find relief for their vision problems by wearing prescription eyeglasses, but an increasing number of people choose to wear contact lenses instead of glasses. Over 30 million Americans wear contacts, in fact, and about 50% of contact lens wearers are between the ages of 25 and 44.
- Sometimes blurred vision or a loss of vision is due to factors that cannot be treated via preventative strategies; it’s common for poor vision to run in families, and your genetics are often to blame for poor vision. That being said, other health problems have also been linked to vision impairment, and diabetes is one of the most common diseases that leads to visual impairment. About 11% of Americans over the age of 20 with diabetes report that they have some level of visual impairment, and out of all patients over the age of 50 who have visual impairment, the number of people who have diabetes is double the number of people without diabetes.
- Blurred vision isn’t the only reason why people seek treatment from their local optometrist; more serious problems include macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. Some of these problems can be treated at an optometrist’s office or in a surgical procedure, but many people don’t seek treatment until it’s too late, either because they can’t afford the treatment or because they don’t realize how serious the problem is.
Now we’re turning the conversation over to you — what interesting facts about your eyes do you happen to know? Be sure to share your knowledge in the comments section! This is a great source for more.