Consumer inSights Q3 2022 Report

The Vision Council has released the Consumer inSights Q3 2022 Report. The latest report to be released from The Vision Council’s new inSights Research Program, it includes a summary of an ongoing consumer survey about vision correction, eye exams, eyeglasses, contact lenses, readers, and plano sunglasses. The survey was fielded to 15,122 respondents in Q3 and the data is representative of the general U.S. adult population.

The report is available to members of The Vision Council as a complimentary download and to non-members as a paid report and can be accessed through The Vision Council’s Research Download Center. The report is available in PDF format and as a PowerPoint slide presentation.

“According to the Q3 data, the demand for eyewear and eyecare appears to have held fairly steady throughout 2022 so far,” said Alysse Henkel, The Vision Council’s Senior Director, Market Research & Analytics. “During the summer months of Q3, we saw an increased usage of plano sunglasses, with more respondents buying sunglasses and more respondents saying that they had a pair of sunglasses they wore regularly.”

A few key takeaways from the Consumer inSights Q3 2022 Report include:

• Vision Correction:
  • 82 percent of respondents use a form of vision correction – including glasses, prescription sunglasses, reading glasses, and contact lenses
  • 69 percent use prescription eyewear – including glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses
  • 68 percent use some form of non-prescription eyewear – including plano sunglasses, blue light glasses, reading glasses, and non-prescription contact lenses
• Managed Vision Care:
  • 2 of every 3 respondents report some type of managed vision care coverage
  • Use of managed vision care benefits for vision correction purchases was relatively strong; of those with coverage, 82 percent used their benefit to help pay for their prescription glasses, lenses, or frames and 76 percent used their benefit when purchasing contacts lenses
  • Consumers purchasing prescription glasses or contacts online were much less likely to use their managed vision care benefits than those who bought in-person
• Eye Exams:
  • 61 percent of respondents in Q3 report having an eye exam within the past 12 months
  • 72 percent of those with managed vision care used it to help pay for their exam
  • Of those who had an eye exam in the last three months, 66 percent reported getting their exam at what they considered an independent practice and 32 percent reported getting their exam at a corporate or chain location
• Eyeglasses, Lenses and Frames:
  • More than half (58 percent) of respondents who wear prescription glasses made a purchase in the past 12 months
  • 1 in every 3 adults (34 percent) reported paying $99 or less out-of-pocket for their glasses, lenses, or frames o More than half (58 percent) of respondents who wear prescription glasses made a purchase in the past 12 months

The Consumer inSights reports do not contain market size estimates. The Vision Council will release a new report, Market inSights, in December 2022 that will include market estimates and forecasts for key product categories. The Market inSights reports will be informed by this consumer survey as well as additional data sources used in the updated methodology.

Consumer inSights+

In addition to the Consumer inSights Q3 2022 report, The Vision Council has also released the Consumer inSights+ reports, a series of detailed demographic data tables that provide an in-depth view of the consumer survey results. The following categories of Consumer inSights+ data tables are available for purchase in the Research Download Center: Vision Correction; Managed Vision Care; Eye Exams; Eyeglasses, Frames and Lenses; Contact Lenses; Readers; and Plano Sunglasses.