Self-reported eye health in Canada: 20 years of data

Eye health is an indicator of health in general. Few studies on eye health have been done in Canada, and none of them covered several years of data.

Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey for most years from 2000 to 2020 were used. Eye health was analyzed, by year, sex and age, as well as by immigrant status, the highest level of education in the household and the income quintile of the household. Estimates were obtained using survey weights, and 95% confidence intervals were obtained with bootstrap weights.

In 2020, the proportion of the population that reported having good vision without correction was about 75% among youth aged 12 to 19 years for both sexes. This proportion was considerably lower for those aged around 45 to 49 years and was about 25% for those aged 55 years or older. Self-reported good vision without correction improved from 2000/2001 to 2020, except for those aged 20 to 39 years old. Every year, fewer females than males reported having good vision without correction.

Self-reported eye health generally improved during the period of this study. Limitations of the survey arise from the fact that it uses self-reported data. Moreover, the survey underwent important changes in 2015 that could limit the comparability of data during the period of the study. However, the large number of years included in the study and the stability of the results validate the conclusions.