{"id":2080,"date":"2023-10-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.warbyparker.com\/learn\/?p=2080"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:12:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:12:38","slug":"how-many-people-wear-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/how-many-people-wear-glasses","title":{"rendered":"How Many People Wear Glasses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you wear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eyeglasses\">eyeglasses<\/a>, you may have found yourself wondering at some point how many other people out there wear glasses like you. Is it more common than you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The truth is that we can\u2019t nail down <em>exact<\/em> numbers, especially on a global scale. There simply aren\u2019t a lot of large-scale studies or data, and the numbers that <em>are<\/em> out there vary from source to source. With that said, we\u2019ve poured all the reliable info we could find into this one handy article to help quell your curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Percentage of People Wear Glasses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we\u2019ve mentioned, quantifying the number of global glasses wearers is tricky due to a lack of international data. Let\u2019s look at the percentages of glasses wearers using a smaller sample size: the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Percent of America Wears Glasses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Percentage of Glasses Wearers by Age<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/70\/wr\/pdfs\/mm7023a4-H.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A National Health Interview Survey from 2019<\/a> reported that 25.3% of American children between 2\u201317 years of age wore either glasses or contacts. For both boys and girls, the percentage of vision-correction wearers increased with age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other end of the spectrum, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6142972\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a 2018 study<\/a> showed that a whopping 92.4% of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older reported that they use glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Many People <em>Need<\/em> Glasses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind that asking how many people <em>wear<\/em> glasses is completely different than asking how many people <em>need <\/em>glasses. Just because someone needs glasses doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to wear them or have access to corrective eyewear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/blindness-and-visual-impairment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, at least 2.2 billion people have problems with near or distance vision. And, for about half of those people (at least one billion), vision impairment could have been prevented or hasn\u2019t been treated yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><!-- .entry-content (split for inline block) -->\n\n<section class=\"wp-blocks__banner has-img white\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/glasses-bundle-cta.jpg\" alt=\"Buy a Pair, Give a Pair\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks__banner-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Buy a Pair, Give a Pair<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<p>For every pair of Warby Parker glasses purchased, a pair of glasses is distributed to someone in need.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks-banner__cta-links\" style=\"flex-wrap:wrap;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/buy-a-pair-give-a-pair\">Learn more <svg id=\"aa495747-7767-4ea8-bc8e-3e09f9e2a480\" data-name=\"Layer 1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 5.5 9.5\"><path d=\"M5.49,4.61a.87.87,0,0,1,0,.32.73.73,0,0,1-.2.35l-4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,.22,8.22L3.69,4.75.22,1.28A.75.75,0,0,1,1.28.22l4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,5.49,4.61Z\" style=\"fill:#1050D0;fill-rule:evenodd\"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"entry-content\"><!-- (reopen for inline block) -->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do People Need Glasses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve established that many people need glasses. So, let\u2019s examine some of the reasons <em>why<\/em> people need glasses. We can break this down into two main issues: refractive errors and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-disorders-and-eye-diseases\">eye conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Refractive Errors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A refractive error occurs when your eye shape or structure prevents light from focusing on the retina (the back of the eye) the way it\u2019s supposed to. This can result in blurry vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Astigmatism:<\/strong> People with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-is-astigmatism\">astigmatism<\/a> have an irregular curve to their cornea that bends light abnormally. This prevents light from focusing on the retina. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5859285\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2017 study in the <em>Journal of Current Ophthalmology<\/em><\/a>, about 14% of children and 40% of adults have astigmatism globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hyperopia (farsightedness): <\/strong>For people with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-is-farsightedness\">hyperopia<\/a>, their eyes focus light on a point past the retina. This makes close-up objects and text appear blurry while far-away objects are clear. That same 2017 study shows that about 5% of children and 31% of adults in the world have hyperopia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Myopia (nearsightedness): <\/strong>For people with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-is-myopia\">myopia<\/a>, their eyes focus light on a point in front of the retina. This makes distant objects look out of focus while close objects look clear. Again, per the <em>Journal of Current Ophthalmology<\/em> study, about 12% of children and 27% of adults around the world are nearsighted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Presbyopia:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-is-presbyopia\">Presbyopia<\/a> is similar to hyperopia in that it makes close-up objects and text appear blurry. But unlike hyperopia, this doesn\u2019t happen because of the shape of the eye or curvature of the cornea. It occurs naturally with aging as the lens loses its flexibility and functionality. In a study, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29753495\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">researchers estimated<\/a> roughly 1.8 billion people in the world had presbyopia in 2015.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><!-- .entry-content (split for inline block) -->\n\n<section class=\"wp-blocks__banner has-img white\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/friendly-eye-doctor-cta.jpg\" alt=\"Think you need glasses?\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks__banner-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Think you need glasses?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Time to check in with one of our friendly optometrists<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-blocks-banner__cta-links\" style=\"flex-wrap:wrap;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eye-exams\">Book an exam <svg id=\"aa495747-7767-4ea8-bc8e-3e09f9e2a480\" data-name=\"Layer 1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 5.5 9.5\"><path d=\"M5.49,4.61a.87.87,0,0,1,0,.32.73.73,0,0,1-.2.35l-4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,.22,8.22L3.69,4.75.22,1.28A.75.75,0,0,1,1.28.22l4,4A.75.75,0,0,1,5.49,4.61Z\" style=\"fill:#1050D0;fill-rule:evenodd\"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"entry-content\"><!-- (reopen for inline block) -->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Eye Conditions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, it isn\u2019t just refractive errors that cause issues with vision. Some examples of other eye conditions that may sometimes be treated with corrective lenses include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Amblyopia<\/strong>: Commonly known as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/lazy-eye\">lazy eye<\/a>,\u201d amblyopia usually occurs as a vision impairment in one eye, but rarely it affects both. Amblyopia happens when something causes the brain to ignore signals from one eye. That \u201csomething\u201d could be refractive errors or other conditions. Depending on the cause, an eye doctor might prescribe glasses. The estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9114436\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">global prevalence of amblyopia is about 1.5%<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eye strain:<\/strong> Even if your vision isn\u2019t impaired by refractive errors, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/eye-strain-symptoms-and-treatment\">eye strain<\/a> could still affect your vision. In some cases, your eye doctor might recommend glasses to treat eye strain, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eyeglasses\/anti-fatigue-lenses\">anti-fatigue lenses<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eyeglasses\/reading\">reading glasses<\/a>, or even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/what-are-prism-glasses\">prism glasses<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strabismus:<\/strong> Sometimes referred to as \u201ccrossed eyes,\u201d strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes. One eye may be turned inward, outward, upward, or downward. It\u2019s estimated that about <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/31012389\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2% of people globally have some form of strabismus<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t Become a Statistic. Protect Those Peepers!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s evident in the numbers: Refractive errors and eye conditions are prevalent around the world. And many of these conditions can be solved with corrective eyewear. This is why it\u2019s so important to keep up with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/how-often-should-you-get-an-eye-exam\">regular eye exams<\/a> to protect your eyes and safeguard your vision. And if you need an optometrist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/eye-exams\">we happen to know a few<\/a>. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you wear eyeglasses, you may have found yourself wondering at some point how many other people out there wear glasses like you. Is it more common than you think? The truth is that we can\u2019t nail down exact numbers, especially on a global scale. There simply aren\u2019t a lot of large-scale studies or data, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":2081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eyewear"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Many People Wear Glasses? | Warby Parker<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of people wear glasses! More than 60% of U.S. adults. Read on for more glasses-wearing statistics.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/how-many-people-wear-glasses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Many People Wear Glasses? | Warby Parker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A lot of people wear glasses! More than 60% of U.S. adults. Read on for more glasses-wearing statistics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/how-many-people-wear-glasses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Warby Parker\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-27T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T07:12:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stage.warby.io\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/three-pairs-of-glasses-stacked.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1094\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1094\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Warby Parker Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Warby Parker Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Many People Wear Glasses? | Warby Parker","description":"A lot of people wear glasses! 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