Why More Kenyans Are Wearing Glasses

Kenya’s optical sector recorded Sh3.14 billion in insured spending in 2025, as the number of people seeking vision care continued to rise.

The figure increased from Sh2.99 billion in 2024, according to the Kenya Optical Industry Report prepared by health-tech platform Smart in collaboration with the Kenya Association of Opticians. Optical visits rose from 203,023 to 213,465 during the same period, while the number of unique patients increased from 175,380 to 186,357.

Average spending per visit changed only slightly, rising from Sh14,430 to Sh14,530. This indicates that the increase in optical spending was largely linked to more people seeking care rather than a significant rise in treatment costs. Refractive errors account for a large share of the demand. These conditions occur when the eye cannot focus light correctly on the retina, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.

Myopia was the most common diagnosis, accounting for 20.9 per cent of visits and 19.3 per cent of optical expenditure. Astigmatism followed, representing 17.3 per cent of visits and 15.8 per cent of spending. Presbyopia, which commonly affects near vision as people age, accounted for 15.7 per cent of visits. The cost of treatment varies significantly between conditions. Presbyopia had the highest average cost per case, partly reflecting the use of multifocal lenses and other corrective options.

Degenerative myopia accounted for 2.2 per cent of visits. The condition can be more serious because progressive stretching of the eyeball can damage the retina and lead to permanent sight loss. Hypermetropia, or long-sightedness, accounted for another 1.5 per cent of visits. Most patients received routine optical care. Eye examinations and standard vision-correction services accounted for about 81 per cent of visits and 82 per cent of expenditure.

Hospital admissions represented only 1 per cent of visits but accounted for 5 per cent of total spending. The average cost of an admission was Sh91,460, compared with Sh12,974 for a routine visit. The difference in costs shows the financial importance of detecting eye conditions before they become more complicated.

Early assessment can help identify problems that require relatively simple correction while reducing the need for more expensive treatment in advanced cases. The age distribution shows that most demand came from working-age adults. People aged between 21 and 50 accounted for 68.4 per cent of optical visits, with those aged 31 to 40 alone accounting for 28.7 per cent. Women represented 56 per cent of visits, compared with 44 per cent for men.

Children accounted for a smaller share of recorded claims. Those aged between zero and 10 represented 5.3 per cent of visits. The report does not establish whether this reflects lower levels of recognised optical problems among children or limited detection and treatment of childhood vision conditions.

The cost of care also increased with age. Average expenditure per visit was Sh9,360 for children aged zero to five, compared with Sh21,600 among people aged 61 to 70 and Sh35,060 among those aged 71 to 80. Access to optical care also varied significantly by location. Nairobi accounted for 57.8 per cent of optical visits and 62 per cent of revenue in 2025. Mombasa followed with 5.4 per cent of visits, while Kisumu and Kiambu each accounted for 4.3 per cent.

The 10 counties with the highest number of optical visits generated 86.3 per cent of national demand but were served by only 40.7 per cent of active optical providers.
The concentration of services in major urban centres may indicate that patients in other counties have fewer options for specialised optical care or travel to larger towns and cities to access those services.

The claims data also show that most patients sought optical care only once during the year. Some 88.2 per cent made a single optical claim in 2025, while 11.8 per cent made more than one claim. Average annual optical expenditure among recorded patients was Sh16,890. Dr Victor Opiyo, President of the Optometrists Association of Kenya, said eye-care professionals are treating complaints including reduced distance vision, sensitivity to light, itching, eye pain and the sensation of a foreign body in the eye.

He also pointed to changes in children's lifestyles as a possible factor in the increasing burden of myopia. Reduced outdoor activity and prolonged use of electronic devices are becoming more common among children. Dr Opiyo said the trend is consistent with the global increase in short-sightedness. Projections indicate that about half of the world's population could be short-sighted by 2050, making myopia an increasingly important public-health issue.

He also warned that many Kenyans delay seeking professional eye care and may instead rely on over-the-counter eye drops while an underlying condition continues to worsen. Some eye diseases can progress without obvious symptoms. Open-angle glaucoma, for example, can gradually damage peripheral vision without causing pain. Patients may therefore be unaware that their sight is deteriorating until significant damage has occurred.

Regular eye examinations can help detect refractive errors that are relatively straightforward to correct, while also identifying diseases that can threaten sight if left untreated. Kenya's optical market is therefore being driven largely by increasing demand for vision correction, particularly for refractive errors.

At the same time, the concentration of optical services in major urban centres and the relatively small share of children in recorded claims indicate gaps in access and early detection. For health providers and policymakers, expanding access to routine eye examinations, particularly outside major cities, will be important in improving early detection and treatment of vision problems.