2012 prescription lens sales show growth over 2011

According to a report distributed by VisionWatch, a large-scale continuous research study conducted by the Vision Council, during the 12-month period ending in December 2012, 76.9 million pairs of prescription lenses were sold in the U.S., generating $10.6 billion in revenue at the retail level.

This is a 2.5% increase in sales per unit and an 8.4% increase in dollar sales as compared to the number posted for the 12-month period ending in December 2011, the report said.

The fourth quarter of 2012 saw unit pair sales of lenses rise by 0.6%, with dollar value rising by 7.6%, over the previous year’s levels, it said.

Lens pair sales grew faster among conventional chain retailers and independent eye care practitioner retailers than they did among mass merchant retailers and department stores.

Sales of single vision lenses (39.1 million units) accounted for most of the overall lens market growth in 2012, up by 1.5% from the previous year. Unit purchases of multifocal lenses were down by 2.2% during the year. Sales of progressive lenses rose by 3.3% to 22.4 million pairs during 2012, to generate $5.43 billion in sales at the retail level. Sales of digitally surfaced free-form progressives were also up by more than 15% during 2012, and it is now estimated that about 19% to 21% of all progressive lenses sold in the U.S. during 2012 were produced using digital free-form technology, the report said.