Almost 70% of people around the globe would rather take a decade off their life or sacrifice a limb than go blind—but less than a third of those polled take basic steps to preserve their eyesight, according to a global opinion poll released by Bausch + Lomb. The company surveyed 11,000 consumers in the United States, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, and the U.K. about their awareness, attitudes and behaviors related to eye health.
Key results from the “Barometer of Global Eye Health” survey found:
- If forced to choose, people would rather lose their sense of taste (79%), hearing (78%), one of their limbs (68%) or 10 years off their life (67%) than their eyesight.
- 75% of people would rather have their pay cut in half than have a permanent 50% decline in their quality of vision.
- 68% say they are knowledgeable about eye health, but just 21% had regular eye exams over the past five years.
- For those who did not have regular eye exams, 65% said they had not visited an eye doctor because they did not have any symptoms, and 60% because they had clear vision.
- Women are more likely than men to take steps to protect their vision, such as wearing sunglasses (81% vs. 77%), eating a healthy diet (82% vs. 75%) and refraining from smoking (79% vs. 73%).
- Married people are more likely than single people to have had a comprehensive eye exam in the past year (46% married vs. 38% single).
B+L hopes this research will help eye care professionals emphasize the need to expose and correct consumers’ misconceptions about eye health.
For detailed results of “The Barometer of Global Eye Health,” visit
www.bausch.com/barometer.
