The Vision Council Releases New Research Spotlighting Q2 Optical Market Trends

Alexandria, Va. – October 1, 2024 – Today, The Vision Council released new market data and analysis reporting on the performance of the $18.3 billion optical industry for the second quarter of 2024. The Market inSights Q2 2024 reports reveals industry performance across a variety of categories, including eye exams, eyeglasses, frames, lenses, contact lenses, readers and plano sunglasses. 

"The Vision Council’s latest research, based on transaction data, shows a decline in both the value and volume of prescription products sold during the second quarter of this year. However, the non-prescription market saw growth, particularly in sunglasses and reading glasses," said Alysse Henkel, Vice President of Data and Insights at The Vision Council. "This decline in prescription products follows a typical seasonal pattern in consumer purchasing, which is expected to rebound in the third quarter."

As expected, the months of April, May, and June saw an influx in sales of plano (non-prescription) products. Warmer weather across the United States drove consumer demand, with non-prescription sunglasses sales increasing by 25.6 million units compared to the first quarter, resulting in a market value boost of $1.6 billion. Reading glasses also saw significant growth in the second quarter, with sales rising to 51.2 million units, up by over 8 million from Q1.

Key Highlights from Q2: 

  • The contact lenses market sold over 38 million boxes of contacts.
  • Lenses led the prescription market with a value of $4.27 billion.
  • Over 17 million pairs of frames were sold.
  • 31.5 million patients received a comprehensive eye exam.
  • The market value of plano sunglasses exceeded $5 billion.
  • Consumers purchased more than 51 million pairs of readers.

The Market inSights Q2 2024 report estimates are based on a variety of data sources, including consumer retail expenditure data, patient billing and payment data, and optical retail location data, along with an updated consumer survey program. Advanced analytics, using a modern data infrastructure, were applied with methodological rigor to develop the market model from these comprehensive sources. This quarterly version of the report reflects a high-level overview of the trends in the last quarter and may adjust previous quarterly estimates based on new data.

market insights

The full report is available in The Vision Council’s Research Download Center as a complimentary download for members of The Vision Council, with a paid option for non-members to download.

More about the inSights Research Program

The Vision Council’s inSights Research Program is built on a foundation of rigorous methodology and cutting-edge technology. The inSights Research Program provides a comprehensive perspective on the state of the optical industry through quarterly consumer survey reports; quarterly in-depth special reports on eyewear and eyecare products and topics; and an end-of-year market estimate and industry forecast.

To download a pdf of this release, click here.