Statistics on Ophthalmic
Industry Sales
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:
- 50.8 percent were single vision lenses.
- 26.7 percent were progressive lenses.
- 22.5 percent were bifocals or trifocals.
According to VisionWatch, eyeglass lenses sold in the United States during the six-month period ending March 2006 included:
- 22 percent with anti-reflective (AR) coating.
- 14 percent as photochromic lenses that darken automatically outdoors.
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.
[Page updated December 2007]
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