RSC Survey Shows Travelers Relying on Glasses and Contact Lenses Have Vacation FOMO

A new poll commissioned by the Refractive Surgery Council (RSC) reveals 50% of Americans with vision prescriptions missed out on at least one activity from their vacation because they wear glasses or contacts. As a result of their ‘vacation FOMO,’ 55% believe having vision correction surgery, such as LASIK, SMILE or ICL, would make their travel experience better, and 40% stated the surgery would protect their investment in travel experiences.

Coming out of the pandemic, the demand for travel continues to skyrocket. RSC commissioned the survey of 2,000 Americans who wear glasses or contacts and travel and found, 17% will base their travel decisions around the fact that they wear glasses or contact lenses. Seeing the sights was deemed the favorite activity by 48% of RSC’s survey participants. In fact, 52% of glasses and contact wearers believe vacations “aren’t worth it” if they can’t do some sightseeing.

Survey respondents reported they missed out on activities while traveling including watersports (24%), physical activities (13%), and going to the pool (13%). A third (36%) said they worry about breaking their glasses or losing their contacts while on vacation, and 37% said it has actually happened to them. Of those that have had a traveling mishap, 66% have considered a vision correction procedure.

“For people who need to rely on glasses and contact lenses while traveling, they make compromises they may not even be aware of that can diminish the overall experience—from the activities they choose to where they visit,” William Wiley, M.D. medical director of the Cleveland Eye Clinic and Clear Choice LASIK Center, who also currently serves as president of the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery, said in an RSC news release. “These travelers’ issues go beyond the extra pairs of glasses, contact lenses, cases and daily supplies they bring in their luggage to really impacting their travel and, potentially, their eye health.”

The study found one third of travelers who rely on vision correction to see choose to forego their glasses and contacts entirely while traveling, simply because they’re worried it would compromise their experience. Additional findings include:

• A third said they could probably last less than a day in a foreign country without access to their glasses or contacts
• Nearly as many (32%) admitted they would enjoy traveling more if they didn’t need their eyewear
• Fifty-five percent opt to go without their glasses or contacts if they’re in a pool or the ocean. 28% would keep their glasses on and 23% would keep their contacts in

Survey Methodolgy

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans who wear glasses or contacts and travel was commissioned by The Refractive Surgery Council between August 25 and August 31, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).