Nine in ten (90 percent) people have experienced vision-related symptoms in their daily life, ranging from hazy or blurred vision to severe eye and head pain, only one in five (20 percent) people stated that they would visit an eye doctor immediately to seek help, according to a new Asia-Pacific Eye Health Survey conducted by Alcon.

Instead, over half the respondents chose to understand the symptoms basis online search or spoke to friends and family for advice, while a quarter chose to do nothing. On this ‘World Sight Day’ Alcon joins hands with other eye care organisations to recognize the need for ‘Eyecare Everywhere’.

Among the countries surveyed, India has the highest proportion of consumers who spend the most time on their digital devices across the region. The survey reveals that about 52 percent and 48 percent of those surveyed in India used computers or smartphone devices respectively for 4 hours or more every day.

More than 50 percent of respondents claim that they often experience eye discomfort after using digital devices and the India results showed that overall, the most common discomforts consumers experience often are tired eyes (31 percent), red eye (23 percent) and dry eyes (22 percent).

While vision discomfort is a common occurrence across the region, the top symptoms vary from country to country. In India the top three vision related symptoms are severe eye and head pain (34 percent respondents); difficulty to read things from far (33 percent) and finally hazy or blurred vision (32 percent).

In comparison, Chinese respondents for example, suffer the maximum from hazy blurred vision, difficulty to read things from far (30 percent) and difficulty to read things from close-up (24 percent). In fact, Indians were the only ones to highlight severe eye and head pain as a (top three) symptom. This was not seen among the respondents from other countries.

The survey throws up very insightful data on how respondents from these countries react to eye-related problems. Indians in comparison to other Asia-Pacific residents come across as the most proactive when faced with eye discomfort. 31 percent of India respondents said that they would visit a doctor, the highest compared to the other four nations and also the least likely at 16 percent to take absolutely no action. South Koreans for example were the highest at 43 percent to not take any action when faced with eye problems or discomfort and the least likely at 11 percent to visit a doctor.

The survey also highlighted that compared to five years ago, 30 per centof Indian consumers felt that their eye health had declined, 42 percent claimed that their vision remained the same and only the remaining 28 percent respondents stated that their vision had improved.

The survey was conducted across five countries (Australia, China, India, South Korea and Taiwan) to gain insights into consumers’ eye health knowledge and behaviour when it comes to vision care as well as their current eye health. “Sight is such an important sense for our daily lives, yet many of us do not take the necessary actions to protect our vision,” said Sandeep Bothra, Country Head – Surgical, Alcon Laboratories-India. “The survey results are worrying as they highlight a lack of awareness about the importance of seeking help or treatment when it comes to protecting our vision, and this needs to be addressed.”

The survey also revealed that among the respondents across the region, almost 30 percent had never seen an eye doctor for an eye check-up. The main reasons many had for not doing so was because they felt they could simply rest their eyes if they ever felt uncomfortable or because they felt that the symptoms they were experiencing would not affect their eye-health as their vision was good enough.

Globally, 253 million people are either blind or suffer from vision impairment1. Of this, the majority of the burden lies within the Asia-Pacific region. According to WHO, vision impairment is defined as the loss of sight that results in problems that cannot be simply corrected with glasses. Vision impairment can also be caused by the lack of access to eye care services.

Chronic eye diseases, such as cataract or glaucoma, have been highlighted as the main cause of blindness, while uncorrected refractive errors and untreated cataracts are the top causes of vision impairment. While age and access to eye care are factors that contribute to vision impairment, the rising use of digital devices has emerged as a cause for concern for eye health. Such devices emit blue and violet light, which has been shown to contribute to eye strain and discomfort and may lead to blindness or vision impairment later in life if not treated.

Delaying diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions a key contributor to vision loss. Ultimately, more than 80 percent of all vision impairments could be avoided if diagnosed and treated early. “Early intervention and treatment is key to prevent the progression of eye conditions that could lead to severe vision impairment or even total vision loss,” shared Sandeep Bothra, Country Head – Surgical, Alcon Laboratories-India.

“At Alcon, we remain committed to improving the eye health of all consumers. The Alcon Asia-Pacific Eye Health Index has uncovered gaps in knowledge that we can help to address to improve how people view eye health. Universal eye health is possible and regular eye checks is a first step towards this.”

Overall, the research highlights the need for continuous education about different eye conditions across Asia, and to helping people understand how they can protect and preserve their vision as best as possible. The majority of vision impairment is preventable or can be treated if people take charge of their eye health and seek help. Seeing an eye doctor regularly can help detect any vision problems early on and prevent further worsening of the condition that could lead to significant visual impairment or even blindness.

World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. This year World Sight Day falls on October 11, 2018. WSD is co-ordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). This year, World Sight Day’s call to action “Eye Care Everywhere” aims to educate people about eye care issues and highlight the importance for all to seek out specialist eye care help to protect their sight.