Are children who wear glasses pitiful?

"There are more children wearing glasses lately, it's so pitiful, isn't it?"
Those words came up in a conversation with a customer. I couldn't say anything.

Since I sometimes sell glasses to child customers, am I selling pitiful items to pitiful children?

It is true that the rate of children wearing glasses has increased recently.
When I was a child, there were only two or three people in the class who wore glasses. Now, it seems common for them to make up half the classroom.

According to the 2025 survey results released by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the percentage of children with uncorrected visual acuity of less than 1.0 is:
Kindergarten 20.29%
Elementary school 36.07%
Junior high school 59.35%
High school 71.51%
For junior high school and above, those with uncorrected visual acuity of 1.0 or higher are in the minority.

This includes a condition known as pediatric amblyopia, where the brain's ability to see is underdeveloped, so it cannot necessarily be attributed to lifestyle habits.
Even if nearsightedness or astigmatism is the reason, there is also the possibility of genetics.
Regardless of where the cause lies, no one "wanted" to have uncorrected visual acuity of less than 1.0.

I first started wearing glasses in my second year of junior high school.
At that time, there were only about two people in the classroom who wore glasses. I joined them as the third member.

Once you are "unusual," you inevitably become a target for teasing.
My previous nickname disappeared, and I was given the nickname "Professor."
Perhaps it was because I chose rectangular glasses. They made me look very smart and serious.

I didn't want to wear glasses because I hated being called "Professor" by my first love.
I would squint to see the writing on the blackboard, wearing my glasses only for the brief moments when I needed to see characters with more than 10 strokes, and then I would hide them in my desk.

However, once I started driving, I had no choice but to wear glasses. Driving while having difficulty seeing is dangerous. Nothing is more important than life.
I had the option of contact lenses, but I just couldn't bring myself to put things into my eyes.

But, being able to "see" is incredibly comfortable.
Now, characters with more than 10 strokes are no match for me.
Perhaps it was around that time that glasses also began to be established as a fashion item.
"If I have to wear them, what kind of glasses should I wear?"
I think my attitude toward glasses changed once I found the fun in that.

"Something is missing."
That's what I was told when I took off my glasses in front of an acquaintance.
Even though I should have the same number of facial features as that person, they said that when I take off my glasses, I'm missing features.
But thanks to those words, glasses became a part of my face.

I still don't think I'm selling pitiful items to pitiful children.

I want them to think that the need for glasses was the start of discovering the fun of glasses.
Of course, even if you have 1.0 uncorrected visual acuity, it's fine to wear glasses just for fun.
I will stand up against the perception that it is "pitiful."