Young people more concerned about UV exposure than sports injuries, new survey finds

Youth concerns about eye health are often misplaced, focusing more on screen use and UV exposure rather than the actual leading causes of vision loss like sports injuries and job-related risks, according to a survey that indicates a need for better public health education to align youth awareness and protective behaviors with the real risks of eye injury.

In the survey, which received responses from 641 US youth between the ages of 14-24 years, 43.8% of respondents expressed anxiety about excessive screen use, and 37.6% were concerned about UV exposure. Fewer participants were worried about sports-related eye injuries (18.1%) or job-related risks (12.1%).

When it comes to protective actions, 47.2% of youth reported using sunglasses for sun protection, 30.7% employed refractive correction measures like glasses or contacts, and 25.0% used screen protection tools such as blue light blocking glasses. However, only 8.5% wore eye protection during sports or activities.

Reference
Killeen OJ, Waselewski E, Vorias T, et al. US youth perspectives on eye trauma and eye protection. J AAPOS. 2024;103949. doi: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2024.103949. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38866322.