LAS VEGAS — More Canadians wear eyeglasses as their primary means of vision correction now than five years ago according to the “Light and Eyewear” 2016 survey[1] conducted by Wakefield Research for Transitions Optical, Inc.
According to the research, 55 percent of Canadians wear eyeglasses as their primary means of vision correction today, and only 51 percent reported doing so in 2011. Two changes in the market have contributed to this shift. First, there are simply more people needing vision correction. Today, 74 percent of Canadians require vision correction, whereas only 72 percent did five years ago. Secondly, there has been a decrease in the percentage of Canadians wearing other forms of vision correction.
The stylish side of eyeglasses is one of the reasons for this switch. When Canadians who switched to eyeglasses were asked why, 24 percent believed eyeglasses are more stylish now. Younger Canadians were more likely to value the stylish quality of glasses. In the survey, 37 percent of people in Generation X and 32 percent in the Millennial generation pointed to the stylish quality of glasses as a reason for switching, versus only 11 percent of Boomers.1
The fashion aspect of the glasses, according to the survey, is not just the frames. The vast majority of Canadians (85 percent) identified certain lens options as becoming trendier – with anti-reflective lenses and photochromic lenses (like Transitions® lenses) topping the list. According to a separate 2015 Transitions Optical survey, the percent of consumers under 36 who perceive Transitions lenses as stylish nearly doubled between March 2015 and October 2015, moving from 43 percent to 63 percent.
According to the “Light and Eyewear” survey, Canadians are relatively consistent across generations with an average of 63 percent feeling positively about wearing eyeglasses. Young Millennials (aged 18-24) have the highest percentage of feeling positive, signaling that the love of eyewear will likely be a continuing trend.1
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[1] Online survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Transitions Optical, Inc., among 1,002 Canadian adults, ages 18-69, between February 29th and March 10th, 2016.
