Optical Revenues Rise
The U.S. optical industry reached $69.5 billion in 2025, growing in value even as product volume and eye exams declined, according to their Market inSights 2025 Report with 2026 Forecast from The Vision Council. Findings show consumers bought fewer optical products but spent more per purchase, emphasizing value-driven choices. Ophthalmic lenses remained the top prescription revenue category, while plano sunglasses were the only major category with unit growth. Eye exam counts fell, yet the average exam fee rose by $10. thevisioncouncil.org
AMD Cases Surging
Diagnosed prevalent cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are projected to rise sharply across the seven major markets, with Italy leading the growth, according to GlobalData’s report, Age-Related Macular Degeneration Epidemiology Analysis and Forecast to 2034. The report forecasts total diagnosed prevalent AMD cases in the 7MM will increase from 41.93 million in 2024 to 54.13 million by 2034, a 3% annual growth rate. globaldata.com/media
AI Boosts Brand Trust
Optimove Insights’ 2025 Marketing Fatigue Report – AI finds that consumers largely welcome AI-driven marketing and often buy because of it. In a survey of 1,034 shoppers, 87% believe they can tell when brands use AI, yet 74% report trusting such brands, and nearly 73% have made purchases influenced by AI-generated suggestions. Most respondents feel AI-powered personalization improves their shopping experience, especially when recommendations are accurate, timely, and relevant. Concerns center on misuse — privacy, over-personalization, irrelevance, and loss of human touch — rather than AI itself, underscoring that thoughtful implementation is key to turning AI into a trust- and revenue-driver. invisionmag.com/032601
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