According to a consumer survey conducted by VisionWatch for the 12-month period ending December 2006, of all
eyeglasses lenses sold in the United States:
According to VisionWatch, eyeglass lenses sold in the United States during the six-month period ending March 2006 included:
Among all eyeglasses sold in the United States during the 12-month period ending March 2006, approximately 6
percent were
polarized sunglasses. Vision Council of America (VCA) Ophthalmic Retail Study.
The average American who wears eyeglasses purchases new glasses approximately every 2.1 years. VisionWatch, 2006.
According to surveys conducted by VisionWatch for the 12-month period ending March 2006, the
types of eyewear used by Americans in different age groups were as follows:
- In the 18-34 age group, 50 percent wore eyeglasses, 29 percent wore contact lenses and 1 percent wore over-the-counter readers.
- In the 35-44 age group, 54 percent wore eyeglasses, 22 percent wore contact lenses and 6
percent wore readers.
- In the 45-54 age group, 73 percent wore eyeglasses, 15 percent wore contact lenses and 29
percent wore readers.
- In the 55-65 age group, 83 percent wore eyeglasses, 6 percent wore contact lenses and 23
percent wore readers.
In 2001, the average retail price for eyeglasses in the United States was about $175. In 1997, it was $153. Jobson Publishing LLC.
A survey of 72,000 vision care consumers said that of those who purchased eyeglasses in the first
six months of 2001, 43.2 percent paid between
$100 and $149 retail, 31.9 percent paid under $100, and 24.9 percent paid $150 or more. VisionWatch & Jobson Publishing LLC
Optical retail sales (excluding eye exam fees) in the United States were $15.8 billion in 2001, down 4
percent from the $16.5 billion
in sales in 2000. Between 1997 and 2002, U.S. optical retail sales rose 3
percent. In 1997, optical retail
sales generated $15.4 billion. Jobson Publishing LLC.
Retail sales of contact lenses (excluding eye exam fees) in the
United States were $1.9 billion in 2001,
representing 12.3 percent of the total market's retail eyewear sales. Contact lens sales grew about 1.4 percent during 1997 through
2001. Jobson Publishing LLC.
The total U.S. optical industry was worth $30.2 billion in 1998. This includes retail eyewear sales, surgical fees, and exam fees,
among other items. Vision Council of America, Jobson Optical Group Data Base, American Optometric Association.
Retail sales of nonprescription sunglasses in the
United States fell 1.4
percent from 2000 to 2001, to
$2.19 billion. Jobson Publishing LLC.