Brits underestimating cost of eye care

Brits are underestimating how much they spend on spectacles and contact lenses by over £12,000, according to research by ophthalmic services provider Optegra.

The survey was carried out on behalf of Optegra by Censuswide and received feedback from 1000 adults with existing vision correction who wear spectacles or contact lenses.

Brits believe they each spend £5045 on their eyes over a lifetime, but the research found that the average lifetime spend totals £17,471.

The total spend on spectacles is £3878 and £13,592 is spent on daily contact lenses, which was found to be the most popular choice of contact lens.

It found that on average, spectacle wearers will buy 26 pairs of glasses over the course of a lifetime and spend £120 per pair with those living in London likely to spend £158 on each new pair of spectacles.

Optegra also found that 50% of glasses wearers and 46% of daily contact lens wearers are not completely satisfied with their eye care choices.

However, the research revealed that those with existing vision problems visit their opticians every 1.2 years on average.

It found that 18–28 year olds are making the most regular visits every nine months compared to 49–60 year olds who visit every 1.5 years.

Eye sciences clinical research associate at Optegra, Sundeep Vaswani, said: “I’m sure a large proportion of Brits will be surprised to discover the huge lifetime cost of eye care, despite many feeling dissatisfied with the products they are using.”

He added: “It’s positive to see how regularly those with existing vision problems are visiting the opticians and we would encourage those who don’t currently wear glasses or contact lenses to follow the recommended guidelines of having an eye test every two years.”