Get a sneak peek at the latest consumer research from the Contact Lens Institute and The Vision Council, as presented on the 2022 Vision Expo West Innovation Stage in Las Vegas.
The U.S. eye care industry—specifically contact lens and eyeglasses sales—is showing strong resiliency in the face of economic challenges, according to new research commissioned by the Contact Lens Institute as part of its See Tomorrow initiative. Select data spanning consumer trade-off preferences, spending shifts, and behavioral changes among contact lens wearers were presented. The full report will be published in October 2022.
Respondents were asked to assign value to 26 different products and services including personal health, entertainment, clothing, dining, and other discretionary spending options. They ranked their contact lenses (84%) and eyeglasses (75%) as extremely or very important—more than any other category. U.S. consumers also indicated they would give up all other categories before their contact lenses and eyeglasses. When asked about how inflationary pressures had altered household spending, the two categories showing the least change were contact lenses (8%) and glasses (7%).
“The message is clear—eye care professionals should not be shy about prescribing the best vision correction for patients, including contact lenses, even in challenging economic times,” said Charissa Lee, OD, FAAO, a Contact Lens Institute Board member who moderated the panel discussion. “Consumers are very willing to pay for what they value, which is healthy eyesight. Practices should make sure their entire staff understands this, so they don’t inadvertently compromise their patients’ experiences.”
Joining Dr. Lee on the expert panel were Klaus Ito, OD, Ocean Park Optometry; Mark Schaeffer, OD, MyEyeDr; and Jason Tu, OD, Invision Optometry, all of whom are 2022 Contact Lens Institute Visionaries. Luke Kulik from research firm Prodege participated as well.
