I recently participated in a large soft contact lens focus group in the US. After hearing an overview of the market, the group was asked their opinion of their soft contact lens practice. I was surprised at the number of doctors who had a more negative opinion of soft contact lenses and even more so their impressions of why they cringed at the thought of a patient being interested in being fit into a soft contact lens.
For those with this negative opinion their top two concerns were:
- Soft contact lenses are not as profitable as spectacles.
- Soft contact lenses take up too much professional time during a limited exam time.
In this article I will review the state of the US soft contact lens market and then dispel the above two misconceptions as well as suggest how an optometrist could make their soft contact lens practice more efficient and profitable.
Overview of the soft contact lens market
Each year Contact Lens Spectrum publishes an annual contact lens report. According to this report the global contact lens market is worth $12 billion and growing.1 There have been 4 years of greater than 4 to 6% year-over-year growth.
After the first 9 months of 2025 the market was on track to grow 4%, thus these numbers suggest the market is strong and growing.1 An interesting trend has been called out regarding patient behavior in this report was that many patients are less willing to purchase an annual supply than in the past, opting for smaller supplies in single transactions.1
As such some manufacturers have noticed this trend and modified their rebate policies and now offer rebate options for smaller supplies and multiple uses during the year.2 The projection for 2026 is optimistic with an expectation of being back in 4 to 6% growth range. New wearers are expected to move directly into daily disposables and toric and multifocal specialty lenses appear to be areas of special interest to patients.
Deeper dive into trends in contact lenses
Looking at the mix of lens types in 2025 is not a surprise with 66% being in silicone hydrogen materials, 21% in hydrogels, 10% in gas permeables (GPs), and 2% in hybrids.1 I do find this interesting as we continue to hear hydrogels are not being fit but the data is noting that 1 in 5 new patients are being fit in this material.1
Soft spherical fits dominate the market at 41% but are down 4% compared to 2024, soft toric fits are at 31% with a 7% increase and multifocal fits are basically staying like 2024 at 14%.1
In 2024, 59% of patients purchased their lenses from their practice and this number has increased to 61% in 2025 with 28% purchasing online.1 The creation and use of online purchasing options that support the practice, such as Marlo by Alcon and J&J’s Shop, are two such examples of industry responding to the trend of online purchasing.
In my opinion the wise optometrist could use this data to help direct their offerings and where they should invest their continuing education as well as embracing opportunities that industry is offering such as new rebates and on-line purchasing systems.
Profitability of soft contact lenses
There continues to be a group of doctors who question the profitability of contact lenses versus glasses. The opportunity here is the dual sale as it should not be glasses or contact lenses but be glasses and contact lenses.
This fact has been echoed in an article on the CooperVision professional website that notes contact lens wearers make more frequent additional purchases such as back-up glasses and sunglasses.3
This article also points out the contact lens wearer reports for more frequent eye exams at every 18 months compared to the spectacle-only patient at 24 months; more frequent exams should translate to higher professional revenue.3
When considering lifetime value, the contact lens wearer has been determined to generate $290 to 330 more in annual revenue compared to the spectacle only patient.4 These facts not only debunk the myth that the contact lens patient is less profitable but should encourage doctors to be proactive in fitting contact lenses.
Quality of life considerations in contact lens wearers
Also consider another fact; the contact lens patient may be a happier patient. A very interesting study was done looking at the quality of life of the contact lens patient compared to refractive surgical and spectacle-only patients.5
This study used the Quality-of-Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) validated questionnaire on 104 subjects in each group (312 total sample size).5 All three groups were similar in gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and refractive error. The QIRC scale was 0 to 100, with higher being better.
The result was:5
- Refractive surgical patients: 50.2 + 6.3
- Contact lens patients: 46.7 + 5.5
- Spectacle-only patient: 44.1 + 5.9
So, the contact lens patient will actually generate more revenue for the practice and is more satisfied with their outcome, which sounds like a win-win situation.
Conquering chair time concerns
In today’s busy practices chair time needs to be a concern. Each time slot for a patient encounter is predetermined so when a standard routine patient visit is changed mid-stream into a contact lens fitting it could derail the office dynamics. Successful offices have developed protocols to take advantage of the unexpected new contact lens patient and see this as an opportunity and not a negative.
In the best case the new contact lens fit had been identified upfront during the scheduling process by the scheduler asking if the patient might be interested in contact lenses. Some patients may not even know that contact lenses are an option; many still think that contact lenses for astigmatism and presbyopia are not available.
A 2018 study noted that less than 33% of contact lens patients were told they could wear contact lenses; thus, doctors and staff are not being proactive in bringing this option up to most patients.6
This is where a well-trained technician can make a significant difference. Successful offices educate their patients early and often. Additional chair time for the surprise contact lens new fit should only be a concern for the offices that have not established a game plan for these opportunities.
Empowering the technical staff
All members of the office want to contribute to the financial success of the office. Optometrists have all been trained during their schooling on how to help patients select eyewear, measure for spectacle lenses and dispense eyewear; but very few if any do these tasks.
Optical selection and dispensing are delegated to opticians, and they are very good at these tasks becoming essential income producers for the office. Advances in technology now exist that this same concept could be followed for contact lens fitting.
In my opinion all refractive data collection should be done by the optometrist as well as the final determination of contact lens viability as an option and the type of contact lens, but the next few steps which could derail the doctors schedule could easily be delegated to a well-trained technician.
Using calculators in contact lens fit protocols
The major soft contact lens companies have all developed very extensive fitting applications (fit calculators) that could be downloaded to a phone, tablet or office computer.
These calculators take the optometrists data points, run them through their proprietary algorithms, and suggest the ideal initial lens selection. For example, they will vertex correct the sphere and cylinder and note the products that could be fit for the patient.
The Johnson & Johnson fit calculator will even make suggestions to enhance distance or near vision for the presbyopic patient.2 Taking advantage of these calculators could allow the doctor to delegate the initial lens selection, insertion, visual acuity measurement and even fine tuning to a well-educated staff member.
In this scenario the doctor moves on to see the next patient and then finalizes the contact lens fit once the initial patient is successful.
This protocol could result in the following:
- No loss of doctor chair time for the unexpected new contact lens fit.
- More one-on-one time for the technician and the patient.
- An empowered technical staff.
- Increased office revenue.
- More satisfied patients.
In this scenario the technician is empowered as the role they are playing in the financial success of the practice is elevated. Additionally, since they now understand the fit process better, they can be more knowledgeable if the patient has a question post fit and can be more effective in the follow-up exam.
Steps for streamlining the contact lens experience
- Educate all staff members on contact lens innovations, materials, safety and benefits.
- Train one or several technicians on the resources that are available from the contact lens manufacturers regarding the fitting process.
- Encourage these technicians to engage with contact lens sales reps and attend education venues on new contact lens products.
- Set up a protocol for the fitting process.
- Educate the technician on rebates to assist the patient in this critical step.
- Educate the technician on the options the patient has for lens purchase.
- Provide incentives for the staff.
In closing
Contact lenses are a major revenue stream for the average optometric practice, generating about 17% of the total yearly revenue.3 Successful practices proactively fit patients by educating their patients and their options and the benefits of contact lenses.
As practices are constrained by time it's critical for their success to have well-trained and empowered staff. With advances provided by contact manufacturers the contact lens technician can now become a more effective and efficient part of the modern practice.
Key takeaways
- The contact lens market is healthy and growing.1
- The contact lens patient is more profitable and happier than the spectacle only patient.5
- Chair time for the new contact lens patient can be efficient.
- Advances by contact lens manufacturers have provided an opportunity to empower the technician to become an income producer for the practice.2
- A well-educated office staff can make the office more profitable and better educate the patient.
