A new survey conducted by VSP Vision Care and YouGov found half of U.S. parents skip back-to-school eye exams for their school-age children, and one in 10 have never taken their children to an eye care practitioner.
According to the survey of 1,000 U.S. parents, 76 percent said sight is the most important sense, but only 50 percent reported taking their children for an annual eye exam. By comparison, about 75 percent of those surveyed said they take their children to the dentist or primary care doctor before school starts each year. Additionally, 21 percent of parents surveyed did not take their kids to the eye doctor for the first time until they were school age — at least 5 years old.
The survey also reportedly covered some key barriers to may be keeping parents from taking their children for an annual eye exam. One-third of those surveyed said they skipped eye exams for their children because they already had their eyes checked in school, and 23 percent of those surveyed said obtaining vision insurance was the biggest barrier to taking their children for an eye exam.
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