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Millennials concerned with eye wear choice, risks related to culture
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A survey conducted by Wakefield for Transitions Optical Inc., focused on the preferences of eye wear consumers and their expectations of eye care professionals, according to a press release. The individuals surveyed were between ages 18 and 34, considered the Millennial generation.
“Cultural sensitivity, giving back and having the freedom to express their personal style all emerged as being highly valued among Millennial eyeglass wearers – and are also core values of growing ethnic minority groups that make up such a large portion of this generation,” Patience Cook, director, North America marketing, for Transitions, said in the release.
In response to what were their priorities when selecting eye wear, the top answers included: appearance of the eye wear (47%), clearest vision (43%) and a good price (41%). Following these responses, a little more than a third of those surveyed were also concerned with: eye health protection (37%), what is fashionable (34%) and a physician’s recommendation (30%).
In connection to these results, Millennials were more concerned (57%) with a physician offering options than those surveyed from the older “Gen X” (35%) and “Boomers” (19%) age groups.
Continued education on eye health is needed, however, as 60% answered incorrectly that UV protection is only needed in the spring and summer months. Older millennials (ages 25 to 34 years) were even more likely to answer incorrectly.
Cultural sensitivity was shown to be of importance, as 65% responded that they would appreciate educational materials from eye care professionals to be offered in bilingual or a language other than English. Eight out of 10 felt that this would show a sign of respect for their own or others’ cultures.
Additionally, nearly nine out of 10 surveyed agreed that they would like to see their eye care professionals involved in local community affairs, which was higher than the Gen X and Boomers at 82% and 81%, respectively.
“With Millennials being the most ethnically and racially diverse generation in U.S. history, eye care professionals are going to be seeing a larger mix of patients who are proponents of cultural sensitivity,” said Cook.