Promoting Kid’s Eye Exams and Buying Eyeglasses Online

BY Rachel Cagle
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Buying eyeglasses online is an easy, convenient way for all consumers to get the prescriptions they need. However, there is a group of consumers who is often overlooked when it comes to getting the prescription eyewear they need: children.

Parents want to give their children everything they need to do well in school, but often one thing gets overlooked: eye exams. This back-​to-​school season, The Vision Council, an organization dedicated to inspiring better vision for better lives, encourages parents to be proactive about their children's eye health and schedule a comprehensive eye exam with an eyecare provider, long before their first important classroom exam.

According to AudienceSCAN, 44% of Potential Eye Doctor/​Optometrist Switchers have children living at home. Of these parents with grade school-​aged children, 14.4% have kids between the ages of 13 and 17, 11.1%'s kids are ages six through nine, 9.9% have two- to five-​year-​olds and 8.9% have kids ages 10 to 12.

"When parents think of back-​to-​school prep that should include an eye exam," says Dr. Justin Bazan, optometrist and medical adviser to The Vision Council. "Oftentimes, parents feel the eye checks at the pediatrician, or even at the school nurse's station, suffice. The truth is they are often not enough. It's important to see an eyecare provider to ensure their child(ren)'s eye health is being closely monitored from the get-go."

Many vision problems and eye diseases can be detected and prevented early. For example, the most common vision problem in children is nearsightedness, or myopia, which is growing at an alarming rate and puts the eyes at risk for more serious vision-​threatening conditions. Myopia effects 1.7 billion people in the world, with more than half the world expected to be myopic by 2050, so early detection in children is key. When parents know what to look for, it can be relatively easy to spot problems with a child's vision. They ought to keep an eye out for these symptoms or behaviors:

  • Short attention span
  • Avoiding or not liking reading
  • Difficulty throwing or catching a ball, copying from a chalkboard, and/​or tying their shoes
  • Pulling a book in close to their face, and/​or sitting too close to a TV
  • Lots of blinking or eye rubbing
  • Guiding their eyes with a finger or pencil while reading
  • Falling performance in school

According to Think About Your Eyes, a national public awareness campaign shedding light on the importance of an annual eye exam, 80% of all learning comes through the eyes, so children are at a strong disadvantage in school and elsewhere when they can't see properly. Additionally, close to 24% of parents wait for their child(ren) to have symptoms before taking them to an eyecare provider, but it's important to know a child(ren) might not be able to recognize or communicate if they have a vision problem since they don't know what constitutes "normal" vision.

Following Up Eye Exams by Buying Eyeglasses Online

Even though Potential Eye Doctor/​Optometrist Switchers are planning on changing providers, only 52.6% plan on actually scheduling an appointment with these professionals this year, according to AudienceSCAN. One influencing factor could be the ability to easily order their necessary eyeglasses online.

Experts say 5 to 10% of preschoolers and a quarter of school-​aged children have vision problems, which can cause challenges in learning and behavior. Too often, a child who can't see well is misdiagnosed with an unrelated behavioral problem, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This misdiagnosis can start a frustrating chain of events, from unnecessary doctor visits, to prescriptions for medications, to enrollment in special classes, when the real solution might be right before their eyes: a pair of glasses.

Potential Eye Doctor/​Optometrist Switchers can be shown the importance of getting their children's eyes checked through a variety of advertisements. According to AudienceSCAN, last year, 68.9% of this audience took action after seeing a TV commercial. The TV is also where 15.5% of this audience believed the best health/​medical information is sourced. They're also 37% more likely than other adults to take action after seeing a pre-​roll video ad. Direct mail is also an effective advertising method since 66.6% of this audience took action after receiving ads or coupons in the mail last year.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.


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