19-22. Top 10 best-performing brands:
NOTE: Lens and contact lens brands were a little less clear cut because, due to self-reporting and a lack of consistency in naming of manufacturer, modality and brand name, there is some overlap in the most mentioned names. However, it is clear to see that when asked about lenses, contacts have more brand power.
23. Which of the following would you regard as the demographic group with the most potential for your business in the next three to five years?
24. Are your customers …
25. The top 10 optical product breakout trends most frequently mentioned by respondents:
- Smart eyewear/wearable tech, including smart contacts
- 3-D printed frames
- Variable and auto-focus lenses
- Blue Light and computer lens awareness and products
- Customized frames
- Minimalism, and the resurrection of rimless eyewear
- Smaller shapes and shorter B measurements
- Metals
- Transitions, including Gen 8, contact lenses and future improvements
- Bold color
Other trends mentioned by respondents included: Unusual shapes; organic and geometric; vintage styles from the 60s, 70s and 80s; large frames; lens tints and colors; environmentally conscious materials and messaging; innovations in lens surfacing, including a better PAL and digital free form computer generated lenses; Bluetooth and microchipped eyewear; facets; A.I.; Myopia control lenses and CLs; and contact lens innovation, including more natural color and daily color contacts.
Then there were these outside the box thinkers:
- “Versatile frames, colors that change on frames.”
- “Contact lenses that change color.”
- “Even better AR coatings.”
- “Full body scans, more ODs will scan their patients’ eyes as part of the comprehensive eye exam.”
- “Neurolens.”
- “Clear polarized.”
- “AR coating on contacts.”
- “The resurrection of the SmartSeg.”
- “Subscription service.”
- “Swing back to service and local opticals, no vision insurance accepted.”
26. How do you do the bulk of your ordering?
| With your sales reps |
| 71% |
| Vendor online portal |
| 19% |
| Phone in directly to vendor |
| 6% |
| Trade show |
| 3% |
| Faxed to vendor or lab distributor |
| 1% |
27. Is your buying at trade shows …
| Increasing |
| 10% |
| Declining |
| 17% |
| Staying the same |
| 47% |
| I never bought at trade shows |
| 26% |