An ISPOS/SNOF study from February 2022, based on 2,000 people aged over 16, looked into the visual health of people in France and explored their opinions on the current eye care system.

The French are increasingly concerned about their vision

Today, three French people in four require some form of vision correction.

• 71% wear corrective glasses
• 10% wear corrective contact lenses

This proportion increases with age (61% of 16-34 year olds, 90% of 55-75 year olds).

The February 2022 ISPOS/SNOF study showed that one in two French people were worried about their visual health (this figure rose to 2/3 for those who use corrective eyewear) and it examined their habits in terms of eye care consultations. It found that the majority of French people rely on an ophthalmologist doctor to take care of their eyes.

• 72% ophthalmologist doctor (88% for those over 54)
• 15% optician
• 5% family physician
• 3% orthoptist

Reduced waiting times for consultations

The research institute also surveyed French people about their ideal journey time to get to a consultation with their ophthalmologist.

• 22% 15 minutes or less
• 45% from 16 to 30 minutes
• 17% from 31 to 45 minutes
• 16% 60 minutes or more

With regard to the time they wait for a consultation, 59% of those surveyed said less than one month, while 39% said over a month.

The National Union of French Ophthalmologists (SNOF) stressed that there has been great progress made concerning waiting times for appointments, which have been cut by 61% since 2017. The average waiting period for an appointment with an ophthalmologist currently stands at 26 days.