L&T’s 2007 Premium Lens Study of Eyecare Practitioners is a qualitative survey that provides fresh
feedback from eyecare practitioners about sales of the spectacle lens designs, materials and treatments
they prescribe and dispense. By analyzing the results of this new study, which polled 166 independent
optical retailers across the country, we learn which products they think are hot and which ones are
not compared with last year. Use this field data to benchmark your own lens sales. —Andrew Karp
TOTAL SALES
Compared to three years ago, 72
percent of retailers said that in
2006, spectacle lenses and treatments
made up a larger percentage
of their location’s total gross dollar
sales. This is down, however from
76 percent last year. There was also
a slight decrease in the number of
retailers who said spectacle lenses
and treatments made up a smaller
percentage compared to three
years ago, going from 9 percent in
2005 to 8 percent in 2006. Sixtyfive
percent said Rx sun lenses as a
percentage of total dollar sales
increased over three years ago.
LENS SALES
When asked to rank lens design
by popularity, single vision was
ranked number one by over half
(52 percent) of retailers. Progressive
(including short corridor) was
ranked number one by 42 percent.
Almost half (48 percent)
of retailers said single-vision
lenses made up a greater
proportion of their total lens
sales in 2006 than they had
in 2005. Comparatively, 81
percent said progressive
sales had increased, while
38 percent said sales of bifocals
and trifocals had
decreased as a percentage of
total lens sales.
Seventy-four percent of
retailers agree with the statement,
“I promote the use of
progressive lenses to all my
presbyopic patients, including
those who currently
wear bifocals or trifocals.”
COMPUTER/OFFICE LENSES
Computer vision sales have
stayed about level, with 54
percent of retailers saying
their sales in this area have
remained unchanged. Most
retailers surveyed (74 percent)
said computer/office
lenses make up an insignificant
percentage (10 percent
or less) of their total lens
pair sales.
SHORT CORRIDOR PALS
Twenty-five percent of retailers
said short corridor lenses
were a significant percentage
(50+ percent) of their progressive
lens pair (PAL) sales.
This is down, however, from
37 percent last year.
Eighty-nine percent of
retailers said they offer more
than one short corridor progressive lens design and 83 percent
claim they dispense a higher
number of these lenses to
females than males.
LENS MATERIALS
When asked to rank lens material
by popularity, standard plastic
was ranked one by almost
half (47 percent) of retailers.
Polycarbonate was ranked one
by 38 percent. Glass was ranked
least popular by the most retailers
(63 percent).
Fifty-two percent of retailers
said their 2006 standard plastic
lens sales stayed about the same
as a proportion of total lens pair
sales compared to 2005. Fiftyfour
percent also said their midindex
lens sales had stayed flat,
while 50 percent said Trivex
sales had remained the same.
Sixty-three percent said their
sales of polycarbonate lenses
and high-index lenses had
grown this year. Glass was the
worst performer, with 51 percent
responding glass made up
a smaller proportion of their
total lens sales in 2006 than in
2005.
HIGH-INDEX LENSES
When asked to rank high-index
lenses based on popularity, 49
percent ranked 1.67 as most
popular and 42 percent ranked
1.60 as most popular. Comparatively,
1.71 was ranked least popular
by 66 percent of retailers.
LENS TREATMENTS
An impressive 85 percent of
retailers surveyed said they had
experienced an increase in AR
lens sales as a proportion of total
lens sales in 2006 vs. 2005.
Seventy-two percent saw an
increase in polarized lenses and
71 percent saw an increase in
photochromic sales over the
same period.
For 47 percent of retailers surveyed,
tinted lens sales stayed
about the same versus the year
before. Sixty-nine percent of
retailers said they offer two different
price points for AR lenses—
one being standard, the
other being premium.
REFRACTIVE
SURGERY’S IMPACT
Ten percent of retailers agree
that because of the increase in
patients having refractive surgery,
their overall lens sales have
decreased. Twenty-five percent
said specifically high-powered
lens sales have decreased.
READING GLASSES
For most retailers (46 percent),
reading glass sales stayed about
the same in 2006 vs. the year
before. Thirty-five percent of
respondents experienced an
increase in readers sales over this
time period. Among those who
sell readers, 58 percent said their
OTC/ready-made readers sales
had stayed flat in 2006. Custommade
readers sales were also flat
for 55 percent of respondents at
locations that sell readers.
LENS AND LENS
TREATMENT PACKAGES
When asked about familiarity
regarding new progressive lens technologies, three-fourths of
respondents were aware of the
term “digitally surfaced progressives.”
Seventy percent are
aware of the term “free form
progressives” and 68 percent
the term “personalized progressive.”
This shows much more
familiarity than last year when
only 49 percent and 57 percent
were familiar with the terms
“free form progressive” and
“personalized progressive,”
respectively. The least familiar
term is “direct surfaced progressives”
(38 percent).
Forty percent of retailers said
they do use lens-only package
pricing. The average price of this
lens-only package is $274.92.
May 2007
RxPertise