Page 22 - 2015 Best Practices of Spectacle Lens Management

Patient Vision requirements are changing. Adult Internet Usage by Age: 2012 Patient

Profiling The vision correction requirements of the U.S. Profiling
population are evolving as workplace demands
and Lens change, as new communication technology Age % of Adults Using Internet and Lens
gains wide usage and as leisure pursuits
Recommen- consume more of people’s time. A recent study 18-29 96% Recommen-
93%
30-49
dations reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology 50-64 85% dations
documents that the prevalence of myopia in the
58%
65 and older
continued U.S. population 12 to 54 years of age increased
from 25 percent to 42 percent over a 30-year Total 85%
period between 1971-72 and 1997-2004.
Researchers hypothesized that this is the result Source: Pew Internet Project Survey, July-August 2012
of an increased amount of time spent by the
population in near-vision tasks.
Employment Status of U.S. Adults: 2012
Traditionally, optometrists grouped vision (% employed)
correction requirements into two categories—
near and distance. But in the modern visual Age Total Adults Male Female
environment, intermediate vision tasks have
a new prominence. Today, about two-thirds 16-19 26% 25% 27%
of the population between 15 and 64 years 20-24 62% 64% 59%
82%
68%
25-34
75%
of age use a computer at home, and more 35-44 77% 85% 70%
than half of employed people use a computer 45-54 75% 81% 70%
at work. A CIBA VISION study indicates that 55-64 61% 66% 56%
the average soft-lens wearer is in front of 65 and older 17% 22% 14%
a computer screen 29 hours a week. Many Total 58% 64% 53%
ECPs remain locked in a near- or far-vision
paradigm and give little consideration to Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012
intermediate-vision tasks.

While it’s impossible to generalize about
the proportions of patients in individual Occupations of U.S. Labor Force: 2012
practices who have different occupations, Million % of Total
across the country, most employed people
work indoors in jobs involving mostly near- Business management/education/healthcare 75.2 53%
and intermediate-vision tasks. Half of U.S. Office/administrative support 17.7
workers are engaged in business, education Managers/business/operations/ 26.5
computer/professionals
or healthcare jobs, nearly all of which involve Healthcare practitioners and support 11.5
computer work, paperwork or both. The other Teachers 8.5
half of the workforce is employed in a variety Other 11.0
of settings with varied vision demands. At Service workers 37.4 26%
least 10 percent of the workforce spends Sales 15.5
much of the workday outside in construction, Food preparation 8.0
transportation, landscaping, maintenance or Cleaning/maintenance 5.6
agricultural jobs. Another 10 percent of the Personal service 5.3
workforce operates a vehicle much of the day Public safety 3.1
or is in a car traveling between work sites Construction/productions/installation/repair 20.3 14%
or customers. At least 15 percent of adult Manufacturing/production 8.5
eyewear users need safety eyewear, with jobs Construction/extraction 7.0
in manufacturing, construction, maintenance Installation/maintenance/repair 4.8
or repair. Transportation 8.5 6%
Farming/fishing 1.0 1%
Total 139.9 100%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages 2012

22 Best Practices of Spectacle Lens Management 2015