QuickStats: Percentage of Children Aged 6–17 Years Who Wear Glasses or (2024)

FAQs

What percentage of 6 year olds wear glasses? ›

Among boys, 3.0% wore glasses among those aged 2–5 years, 20.0% among those aged 6–11 years, and 35.3% among those aged 12–17 years. Among girls, the corresponding percentages are 3.1, 26.4, and 48.2.

What's causing your child's eyes to be “imperfect”? Refractive vision issues are very common in children. In fact, an estimated 1 in 4 children wear some sort of vision correction to see clearly. Generally, most children do outgrow the need for glasses.

The market for glasses keeps exploding

In 2021, Americans spent about US$45.83 billion on eyewear, which marked a 24.3% increase over the year before, according to the Vision Council of America. That's around 27% of all corrective eyewear sales worldwide!

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 75 percent of adults in the U. S. between the ages of 18 and 54 need lenses to correct their vision. The rates are slightly lower for those age 55 and over, at 73 percent.

“The visual system in a child is still developing during the first seven to eight years of life. In some cases, glasses may be necessary to help normal visual development,” says Johns Hopkins ophthalmologist Megan Collins, M.D.

Healthcare providers who specialize in children's eye care say kids usually become nearsighted or farsighted between ages 6 and 12. Farsightedness may be diagnosed even earlier, sometimes in infancy. Even infants can wear glasses if they need help to see well.

According to our analysis of more than 110,000 responses to the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Census Bureau on behalf of the National Center for Health Statistics, 62 percent of respondents said they donned some form of corrective eyewear in a recent three year-period.

Around 3 percent of children between 2-5 years old need glasses, and that jumps up to around twenty-three percent in children between 6-11 years old. More than forty percent of 12–17-year-old children need glasses; there is definitely an increase as we grow older.

In fact, more kids in the US are needing glasses than ever before and at earlier ages. “So, here at Boling Vision Center, we check eyes all day long,” says Dr. Amy Layman, an optometrist. Layman is seeing more kids with nearsightedness -- that means kids are having trouble seeing things that are far away.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is reaching epidemic proportions. In the US, over 40 percent of the population needs glasses; estimates suggest that one-third of the world's population will be nearsighted by the end of the decade.

Which country wears the most glasses? ›

The link between glasses and intelligence

According to a large study of over 300,000 people, people with higher cognitive function are 28 percent more likely to need corrective lenses, and 32 percent likelier to be shortsighted.

A study conducted by Scrivens has found that the number of 13-16 year olds needing glasses has almost doubled during the past seven years. In 2012, 20% of teenagers needed glasses and research this year showed that this figure has increased to 35%.

It is completely normal, as we age; the eye's ability to focus becomes weaker. This is called Presbyopia and will continue to develop over time. The average reading glasses age varies, but most people find they need them once they've hit middle age. Unfortunately there is no escape, even if you've had perfect vision.

Whether you currently wear glasses or not, you eventually will need reading glasses at some point in your life. Say what? That's right! Even if you've never had to wear glasses growing up, it is inevitable that you will need a pair of reading glasses or multifocal contact lenses by your early 40's to mid 40's.

We can say with a degree of certainty children with 'high' prescriptions will not 'grow out' of their glasses. You should expect your child to need glasses throughout childhood whilst their vision is maturing. A small number of children do “grow out” of their glasses, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

The main driver of this is the increased rates of myopia in children. Myopia is when a child can no longer see things in the distance well (like the smart board at school or the time on a clock across the room) and must wear glasses in order to see properly.

Will my child always need reading glasses? No. As your child's eyes develop and mature, their focusing skills will likely mature as well— eliminating the need for reading glasses. Vision therapy can further improve your child's focusing skills, along with any other visual skills that may need strengthening.

20/200+: This means you have a significant vision issue. You will most likely need to wear glasses all the time. Your eye doctor may also recommend specific lenses to improve your overall sight.

In a 2017 survey, nearly 1 in 10 Americans who reported needing glasses said they could not afford them. More than 2 million children in the United States also do not have the glasses they need, according to an estimate from the nonprofit Vision To Learn.

What percentage of Americans have poor vision? ›

Almost 20 million Americans — 8 percent of the U.S. population — have visual impairments.

Estimates indicate that about 35 percent of the population has 20/20 vision without corrective lenses or surgery. With corrective measures, about 75 percent of adults have what is considered “normal” visual acuity.

Kids who are on screens are typically indoors. “Exposure to natural daylight is critical to developing eyes,” says Malik. “Kids need time playing outside for their health, but also for their eyes.” Studies have found that children who spend more time indoors are more likely to develop nearsightedness (myopia).

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued standards for visual acuity at different ages, including: 20/40 for children 3 to 4 years old. 20/30 for older children. 20/20 for school-age children.

Contrary to the generally accepted beliefs that wearing eyeglasses makes you look older and wearing sunglasses make you look younger, our results suggest that the effect of glasses on age perception is rather small.

Having less-than-perfect vision isn't as uncommon as you may think. About 75% of adults use some sort of vision correction, according to The Vision Council. About 64% of them wear eyeglasses, and about 11% wear contact lenses, either exclusively, or with glasses.

People need glasses or contacts because of a common problem called refractive error, which blurs vision. There are four different types of refractive error: nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

More than 1 billion people around the world need eyeglasses but don't have them, researchers say, an affliction long overlooked on lists of public-health priorities. Some estimates put that figure closer to 2.5 billion people.

61% need eyewear due to “nearsightedness” (myopia) and 31% need vision correction due to age related “farsightedness” (presbyopia). 12.2 Million adults require some sort of vision correction but don't use any.

While 3 out of 4 people in America wear corrective lenses, up to 41% of those people should wear them more regularly. In fact, the study found that between11% and 16% of people rarely wear their glasses or contacts.

Is poor eyesight genetic? ›

Poor eyesight is neither a dominant nor recessive trait, but it does tend to run in families. However, poor vision is more complex than being able to outright blame your parents.

Unprescribed glasses (also called fake glasses or plano glasses) are eyeglasses used as a fashion statement or just to give yourself a fresh appearance.

The majority of adults in Japan regularly wore eyeglasses or contact lenses as revealed in a survey conducted in December 2021. Glasses were the preferred items, with 31.1 percent usually wearing glasses and another 26.5 percent wearing them when necessary.

She says, “Nearsightedness and farsightedness have a strong genetic component, especially if a parent is very nearsighted or farsighted. If both parents are nearsighted or farsighted, there's a good chance their child will be the same.”

Honesty: Glasses can make you look more honest. Trustworthiness: You may look more trustworthy if you're wearing glasses with rims. Intelligence: People with glasses look like they read more; hence, they are more intelligent. Social class: Higher social class is associated with wearing glasses.

Out of 19 individuals with Oblique astigmatism more number of individuals had average IQ status. With 0.00 to 1.50 DC of left eye, greater numbers of individuals i.e., 51 were with average IQ status.

In 2019, 25.3% of children aged 2–17 years wore glasses or contact lenses, and the percentage increased with age among both boys and girls. Among boys, 3.0% wore glasses among those aged 2–5 years, 20.0% among those aged 6–11 years, and 35.3% among those aged 12–17 years.

Yes, since presbyopia affects everyone eventually. If you have never needed glasses or contacts before, you may find age-related vision changes to be especially frustrating.

While the results of a subgroup of studies showed that there was no significant gender-related difference in the eye's ability to focus clearly on objects at near distances, the overall analysis provided evidence that women have a need for higher power reading glasses or bifocals than men of an equivalent age.

Unfortunately, when a patient with myopia stops wearing their glasses, it can impede efforts to slow myopic development. Degenerative or high myopia increases eye health risks. The condition can lead to severe eye and vision problems, such as: Blindness.

What happens if you don't wear glasses at all? ›

If you're an adult who needs glasses due to blurred vision, not wearing glasses doesn't make your eyes worse, but it makes your eyes work harder. Corrective glasses allow your eyes to work less hard which reduces eye strain and all the other unpleasant effects of not wearing your glasses (when you need them).

Glasses can help people see better, but you might not realize you need them. Your eyes can change over time, so even if you had perfect vision before, that's not necessarily a given later on. The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that more than 150 million Americans use corrective eyewear.

Wearing glasses doesn't weaken your eyes in any way. While some people believe wearing glasses can make your eyes reliant on the glasses and cause your eye muscles to atrophy, that myth can't be further from the truth.

Answer: Once you start wearing your prescription glasses, you may find that your vision is so much clearer that you want to wear them all the time. If you are comfortable, then there is absolutely no reason why you can't wear your glasses as much as you want.

The main driver of this is the increased rates of myopia in children. Myopia is when a child can no longer see things in the distance well (like the smart board at school or the time on a clock across the room) and must wear glasses in order to see properly.

​ (i)3.0% of boys aged 2 to 5 years, 20.0% of boys aged 6 to 11 years, and 35.3% of boys aged 12 to 17 years used spectacles. The equivalent percentages are 3.1, 26.4, and 48.2 for females.

Not wearing eyeglasses, or wearing an incorrect prescription, can cause your child to experience blurriness, eye strain and other uncomfortable symptoms. If these issues aren't addressed, they can impact your child's quality of life dramatically and make school much harder than it needs to be.

Children may need glasses for several reasons, some of which are different than for adults. Because a child's visual system is growing and developing, especially during the first 5-6 years of life, glasses may play an important role in ensuring normal development of vision.

In most cases glasses are prescribed for children to improve their vision. They may also be given to prevent poor vision from developing or to treat a squint. Glasses are not always ordered, even if the child is found to be long or short- sighted.

Do some kids grow out of glasses? ›

We can say with a degree of certainty children with 'high' prescriptions will not 'grow out' of their glasses. You should expect your child to need glasses throughout childhood whilst their vision is maturing. A small number of children do “grow out” of their glasses, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

With the increase of schoolwork, tablets, smartphones, computers, and conceivable pressure from parents, Asian children and teenagers currently are at a huge risk for high myopia. Now, we are learning that spending time indoors can also contribute to this increased prevalence.

Physical. Improper fit is a big reason why glasses could feel uncomfortable. If they slip down, itch behind the ears, or put pressure on the bridge of the nose, it can explain why a child wouldn't like to wear them. If there's been a big change to their prescription, they may need time to get used to it.

Researchers believe two culprits are to blame: the lack of outdoor play, and prolonged time doing up-close activities like using digital devices.

A child's vision isn't finished developing until they're 8 years of age. While their eyesight is still changing, parents should take note of signs that indicate a child's need for eyeglasses. These signs include frequent headaches, excessive tears, squinting and eye rubbing.