last word
By Tara Rosenzweig
Global Insights
A total of 10,574 people across eight countries—the U.S., Australia, Brazil, India, France, the U.K., and Italy—were recently surveyed on various eyecare-related topics for Transitions Optical's 2009 global survey.
While many findings of the survey were similar across the countries, some differences stood out.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH VISION PROBLEMS
■ Myopia. Both men and women in the U.S. reported lower rates of myopia (23 percent and 24 percent, respectively) than in Brazil, Canada, France, the U.K., and Italy. Rates were lowest in India, at 10 percent for men and 15 percent for women.
■ Astigmatism. Across all countries, more women than men reported experiencing astigmatism. Women's rates ranged from a low of two percent in India to a high of 36 percent in Brazil. U.S. women came in at 22 percent (U.S. men reported at 11 percent).
■ Difficulty seeing at night. Considerably more U.S. women (22 percent) than women in the other countries surveyed reported having problems seeing at night. The lowest rates were reported by men and women in Brazil, India, and Italy.
■ Eyestrain. Brazil, India, and the U.K. had the highest rates of eyestrain, ranging from 14 to 22 percent. Italy had the lowest rates at just one percent for both men and women. U.S. men and women reported at seven and nine percent, respectively.
■ Light sensitivity. Again, more women than men in all the countries surveyed reported light sensitivity. Brazil had the highest rates, 17 and 23 percent, in comparison to the U.S. rates of six and 11 percent.
■ Dry eye. Slightly more U.S. men and women reported dry eye (nine and 15 percent) than any of the other countries surveyed. Men in Italy and women in France had the lowest rates at two and seven percent, respectively.
AWARENESS OF CONDITIONS AFFECTING VISION
The survey revealed a fairly low awareness, across all countries, of the impact of medications on vision.
Rates ranged from a low of 13 percent (men) and 17 percent (women) in France to a high of 44 and 49 percent in India. The U.S. fell in the middle, at 31 and 32 percent.
USE OF PHOTOCHROMICS
In all the countries surveyed except the U.K., more men than women reported wearing photochromics to protect their eyes from glare.
Rates of photochromic usage in the U.S. were similar to most countries, at 22 percent for men and 20 percent for women. India's rates were highest, at 35 and 31 percent. EB
He Said, She Said |
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In the Transitions 2009 global survey, seven to 19 percent of women believe women have more eye problems, and up to 36 percent of men think men have more. While 42 to 61 percent of men and women across most countries surveyed believe the rate of eye problems is the same for both genders, this mindset is higher in some countries: ■ 71 percent of women in India believe both genders have similar incidence. ■ 75 percent of men and 81 percent of women in France believe both genders have similar eye problem rates. |