Fact-Finding Survey on Children's Vision Correction and Eyeglass Use: Analysis of Vision Data from 2,300 Elementary Students

Intermestic Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), which operates the eyewear brand 'Zoff,' conducted a survey on glasses and vision among 279 male and female students in grades 4-6. Additionally, an analysis was performed based on vision data of approximately 2,300 elementary school students provided by six schools. Furthermore, an 'Internet Survey on Children's Eyeglasses' was conducted from February 26 to March 2, 2026, targeting 600 parents with elementary school children and 200 elementary school teachers. While a decline in children's vision has been noted in recent years, many children actually do not use glasses. Factors influencing this include a lack of awareness regarding vision correction and negative images such as 'glasses break easily' or 'they get in the way during sports.' This survey clarified the actual state of children's eyewear and the awareness of parents and teachers. - Approximately 30% of all children require vision correction. - Among children whose vision requires correction, 46.1% remain uncorrected. - About half of the children who have undergone vision correction still do not have sufficient vision despite the correction. - Approximately half of the parents answered that they 'do not know the criteria for needing vision correction.' - 48.2% have thought that 'wearing glasses makes vision decline more easily or worsen.' - 47% of parents whose children use glasses have experienced their child's glasses breaking. - 73% of parents feel that 'glasses are a nuisance' during sports, etc. - The top element parents seek in children's glasses is 'safety' at 66.3%, followed by 'durability' at 62%. - 72.5% of parents responded that 'durable glasses' are important. - About 40% of school teachers answered that they have seen scenes where glasses caused an injury. - 68% of elementary school teachers have seen children who seem unable to concentrate on class due to vision decline. - More than 60% of people have experienced a 'wait-and-see' approach to getting glasses despite needing correction. ■ Survey Overview Survey 1: Fact-finding survey on children's glasses Method: Questionnaire Target: Elementary school students at schools where Zoff conducts visiting classes (279 respondents in grades 4-6) Period: February 19 (Thu) to March 13 (Fri), 2026 Survey 2: Vision data of elementary school students Method: Provided by elementary schools Target: Students enrolled in schools where Zoff conducts visiting classes (2,300 students in 6 schools) Period: April 2025 Survey 3: Internet survey on children's glasses Method: Internet survey Target: 800 men and women aged 25-59 nationwide (600 parents of elementary students, 200 elementary teachers) Period: February 26 (Thu) to March 2 (Mon), 2026 Based on the analysis of vision data from approximately 2,300 students in 6 schools, the following was revealed: - Result: Approximately 30% of all children require vision correction. Among the 2,300 students, while 383 already have vision correction, 328 students fall into the C or D categories where correction is generally recommended but do not have it. In total, 711 children (approx. 30%) require correction, highlighting the current state of vision decline among students. - It became clear that 46.1% of children requiring vision correction are uncorrected. Of the 711 children deemed to need correction, 328 (46.1%) fall into the C/D categories but do not wear glasses. This means nearly 1 in 2 children who need correction are not receiving it. Furthermore, 178 children remained in the C/D categories after correction, showing that about half of corrected children still do not have sufficient vision. ■ Literacy Regarding Children's Vision - Half of parents answered that they 'do not know the criteria for needing vision correction.' Generally, correction is considered necessary for vision of 0.3-0.6 or less (C or below). However, when parents were asked if they knew this criteria, about half said 'No,' revealing that awareness of the judgment criteria for correction is not sufficiently widespread. - 48.2% of parents responded that they have thought 'wearing glasses makes vision decline more easily or worsen.' When asked about this concern, nearly half of parents expressed the belief that glasses could deteriorate vision.