Wholesale labs may be optical’s ultimate multitaskers. They are manufacturers, distributors, technical experts and educators. They are expected to know all about the latest ophthalmic lens designs, coatings and materials, be able to explain them to customers and of course, produce them reliably, on demand. As if that isn’t enough, some labs also produce and distribute contact lenses, and many also distribute frames and sunwear.

Any one of these diverse roles is demanding. Yet many labs juggle all of them seamlessly, day in and day out. It’s what they do.

20/20’s annual Wholesale Lab Usage Survey looks at labs through the eyes of the eyecare professionals who rely on them to support their practice or business. The survey findings cover a lot of ground, so we cherry picked some of the highlights we thought you’d find most interesting and useful. For example, you’ll learn how much business ECPs plan to do with their labs this year, how their purchases of various products are changing, year to year, how the volume of managed care jobs the practice sends to the lab is changing, and much more. The complete findings are available from Jobson Optical Research’s Jennifer Waller at [email protected].

–Andrew Karp

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Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022

Source: Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022



METHODOLOGY

20/20's Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2022 was conducted during July 2022 by Jobson Optical Research’s in-house research staff. The sample of 255 respondents was derived from the proprietary Jobson Optical Research Database.

The 2022 survey was conducted online, and only eyecare professionals at independent locations (one, two or three affiliated practices) who use a wholesale lab for processing lenses or providing other eyewear products and services were qualified to complete the survey. Respondents to the survey were entered in a sweepstakes to win a $200 amazon.com gift card.

Three years of data is shown for trending purposes. The 2021 survey was conducted online in July 2021, and 223 respondents at optical retail locations completed the survey and were offered a chance to win a $200 amazon.com gift card as an incentive. The 2020 survey was conducted online in June 2020, and 214 respondents at optical retail locations completed the survey and were offered a chance to win a $200 American Express gift card as an incentive.

–Jennifer Waller, Director of Research & Business Analytics