The French increasingly concerned about their visual health

in collaboration with

Pr Antoine Brézin (Head of Ophthalmology Department at Cochin Hospital,)

The French are mostly concerned about their good vision. This is the main information of the second edition of the study “The French and their visual health”, carried out by Ipsos for Snof (National Union of Ophthalmologists of France) revealed on May 4. A generality that can be found in the figures: in France, 75% of the population say they wear corrective equipment, glasses or contact lenses.

Visual health: the ophthalmologist remains the reference professional

Among the information revealed by this survey, trust in the expertise and accessibility of an ophthalmologist appear to be two important indices in the French population. Indeed, the ophthalmologist remains without difficulty the professional to whom we turn to talk about his sight: 75% of French people have spoken directly to their ophthalmologist (compared to 72% in 2022), 12% have chosen their optician (14% in 2022), 5% their general practitioner and 2% an orthoptist.

Appointment times seem to have improved significantly and so have patient expectations: 48% of them consider it normal to obtain an appointment (excluding emergencies) with their practitioner for more than a month. The union sees it “expectations that are in line with the progress made by Snof in recent years, since the latest study dedicated to appointment times revealed that in 2022, the majority of non-urgent appointments are set at less than one month. Since 2017, appointment times have been divided by 3 and by a third since 2019″.

For Dr. Thierry Bour, president of Snof, “the real needs of the French in terms of access to and delivery of optical equipment are today satisfied over a large part of the territory. For their eye problems, patients need above all to see ophthalmologists and in real life! »

The best-known 100% health device

On the reimbursement side, a better knowledge of the aid system in place also works for better management of one’s visual health.

According to the study, 78% of respondents say they have heard of the 100% optical reform. Among them, 21% declare having benefited from it (on the frame or the lenses), while 15% have equipped themselves with basket A. For the organizers of the study, these results “show that devices to promote the distribution of glasses exist and are known but that they are still underused. In practice, 76% of respondents are reimbursed by their complementary health insurance in whole or in part”. However, 8% of French people do not get their glasses reimbursed because they do not meet the criteria for the scheme or have not requested it. A rate that rises to 13% among 18/24 year olds.

As a reminder, since January 1, 2021, 100% Santé has been offering all French people, benefiting from responsible complementary health insurance or solidarity complementary health insurance, care and a wide choice of audiology, optical and dental equipment, which are 100% supported.

“Eye diseases cause real anxiety”

For Professor Antoine Brezin, author of Understand and care for your eyes (Editions du Cerf, April 2023), there has been a shift between ophthalmology in the 20th century and today. Between the one where you came to ask questions with your ophthalmologist, who took the time, and the centers today which detect pathologies and the corrections to be made, without necessarily extending, from practitioner to patient.

However, the eye and sight remain important concerns in the eyes of the French, even growing.