Statistics on Eyeglasses and Contact Lenses
Approximately 168.5 million U.S. residents use vision correction
such as eyeglasses or
contact lenses, representing 75
percent of the country's total adult
population. VisionWatch (Jobson Medical Information LLC and Vision Council of America), June 2006
Approximately 143.2 million American adults or 64 percent of the adult population wear glasses.
VisionWatch, June 2006
Nearly half of Americans would consider wearing eyeglasses as a fashion accessory, even if they didn't need
them. Most perceive eyeglass wearers as either smart (40 percent) or sophisticated (39
percent). Professionals
associated with wearing eyeglasses include librarians (74 percent), teachers (71
percent), lawyers (56 percent), artists (27 percent) and
actors/movie stars (20 percent). from a survey of 3,000 U.S. eyeglass wearers and non-wearers, conducted by
eyeglass lens manufacturer Essilor International in February 2004
The biggest complaints about eyeglasses among wearers include dirty glasses (30
percent) and lens scratches (19 percent).
from the same Essilor survey cited above (Essilor makes Crizal Alize, an anti-reflective lens
the company says is easier to keep clean and scratch-free)
According to the Vision Council of America (2006), of the total adult American population:
- 64.0 percent use eyeglasses
- 19.0 percent use contact lenses some of the time
- 85.6 percent use non-prescription sunglasses
- 14.0 percent use pre-made "drugstore" readers
- 12.1 percent use sunglass clips
- 4.4 percent use computer eyeglasses
Approximately 19 percent of the U.S. population wears contact lenses. VisionWatch
For the 12-month period ending December 2006, 26 percent of females ages 18 and older
wore contact lenses. Among males 18 and older, 14 percent wore contact lenses. VisionWatch
According to surveys of American contact lens wearers conducted by VisionWatch
over a six-month period ending March 2006, the duration of wearing periods were as follows:
- Daily wear (remove before sleep), 44 percent
- Occasional daily wear, 14 percent
- Continuous wear (includes during sleep), 14 percent
- For specific activities only (e.g. sports), 10 percent
- All day and occasional overnight wear, 10 percent
- All day and frequent overnight wear, 7 percent
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