LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.—Having worn eyeglasses since the third grade, nationally renowned standup comedian and radio personality, Rickey Smiley, has partnered with America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses to create an eponymous eyewear line. In part due to his lifelong intimacy with eyewear, the impetus for launching Rickey Smiley Eyewear also came about due to the results of a new survey which found that while 84 percent of those surveyed agree that it is important to get regular eye exams regardless of whether they are seeing well or not, 40 percent have not had an eye exam in the past year and 10 percent have never seen an eye doctor. (See “Eye Health Awareness and Access” infographic) African-Americans were almost twice as likely to have never done so.

The online survey was conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of National Vision Inc. (parent company of America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses) in August 2014 among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults aged 18 and over. Oversamples were conducted to reach statistically significant base sizes among African-Americans and Hispanics.

“No need, I am seeing fine,” was the number one reason for not recently visiting an eyecare professional, according to 37 percent of respondents. This was followed closely by “I can’t afford it,” cited by 34 percent. Survey respondents also reported that they expect to pay more than $90 for an eye exam. Price was cited as the most important factor when shopping for eyeglasses (according to 74 percent of respondents), followed by quality (57 percent), location (47 percent), convenience (41 percent), and hours (19 percent).

The fact that cost is one impeding factor led to another reason for the launch of Rickey Smiley Eyewear, which is eligible for a special deal from America's Best that provides two pairs along with single vision plastic lenses and an eye exam for less than half the $250 that nearly one-quarter of respondents said they paid for their last pair of eyeglasses

Appearance is also very important to most people (76 percent) with the majority agreeing that eyeglasses are a part of their personal style. When asked how often eyeglass styles should be updated (or a second pair bought) the average response given was “every year.”

“People update their shoes all the time but put off updating their glasses,” said Smiley. “It's time for people to prioritize their eyes and get a great new look at the same time.”