Seeing Yourself at 40

Health insurance company VSP Vision Care drummed up some media interest this year with its recent survey of 2,000 Americans, which ostensibly set out to uncover the things people think it is important to do by the age of 40. Its real purpose is to get people thinking about eye care, of course. “And why not?” as Barry Norman used to say (those under 30 will need to look him up on Wikipedia).

Amid the mostly relatable answers – for example, travel with a person you love (26%), own a home (26%), start a family (25%) – was the none-too-surprising revelation that four out five Americans (79%) believe that having clear vision is important to experience life’s goals.

My initial reaction was, “Does that mean 21 percent of Americans don’t think clear vision is important?” Maybe they just didn’t read the question right… 

The survey also reveals that 28 percent of respondents didn’t know that eye exams could detect health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, so there is an important point here, and kudos should go to Vision Care for getting their message out in a broad and user-friendly way.

Sidenote: There are a couple of strange answers in there. Sixteen percent of respondents thought it was important to go on a “solo date” before the age of 40, while 16 percent said you should also “go through a break-up.” A solo date is apparently just what it sounds like: going on a date with yourself. Seems a bit weird, but I guess you wouldn’t argue about which film to watch. And the candle-lit dinner would be cheaper.