NEW YORK— Independent ECPs’ attitudes about business continued improving in August, compared to July, according to the latest edition of Jobson Optical Research’s Optical Business Barometer (OBB) which is designed to gauge the optical business trends of eyecare professionals at independent optical locations.

The OBB is a monthly survey of a representative sample of independent optical retailers (single locations and groups of no more than three locations). Conducted online by Jobson Optical Research, the OBB is designed to measure attitudes of independent eyecare professionals about the current business climate and outlook. The OBB is based on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is “very negative”, 3 is “neutral” and 5 is “very positive.”

Compared to the previous two months, respondents’ attitudes toward business increased for August 2010 at an Index of 3.7 compared to July’s 3.5 score. In May and June, the score of 3.4 had represented the lowest recorded rating of the year. The OBB started in January when the Index was at 3.6. February’s OBB Index score of 3.5 was slightly lower. August shares results with March as the highest Index scoring months this year. April’s score decreased to 3.6.

Independent optical retailers’ sentiments about how they anticipate business will fare for the next six months for the overall optical business fell slightly to 3.5, down from July’s score of 3.6, according to the Barometer. The OBB June report was also 3.5 while the score for January through May remained highest at 3.7.

Independents' sentiments regarding eyeglasses and examinations, which had increased in July, rose again in August. However, sentiments toward contact lenses remained the same in August when compared to the previous month.

The findings of the OBB are similar to those in the Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board, according to Jobson Research. That report showed that confidence in the economy improved slightly to now stand at 53.5, up from 51.0 in July. The Index had steadily increased for March, April and May. It then declined sharply in both June and July to stand at 50.4, down from the year’s highest score of 62.7 in May.

Comparably, the National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB) Index of Small Business Optimism turned around in August, rising 0.7 point from July to reach 88.8 for the month. The August result is an improvement since the score had dropped in both June and July.

Look for the latest OBB results from Jobson Optical Research to be posted in the middle of each month on VisionMonday.com.

Want to know more? The full Optical Business Barometer tracks the sentiment of eyeglass and contact lens sales as well as exam numbers and breaks out the numbers based on region, profession, age, location emphasis and more among independent eye care professionals. To learn more about the full report, contact Jennifer Zupnick at
(212) 274-7164.