Contact lens market on the rise

The contact lens market in the UK and Ireland grew by 8% in 2016, according to statistics released by the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM) yesterday (19 April). This puts its market value at £290m.

Sharing data, the association reports that the year-on-year rise represents the sale of 780 million contact lenses. It also highlights that while daily disposables account for the largest market share at 65%, this is followed by soft frequent replacement lenses at 31%, rigid lenses at 3% and traditional soft lenses at 1%. 

Statistics show that there are an estimated 4.2m contact lenses wearers in the UK, which equates to 9% of adults aged 15–64 years old. The ACLM highlights that this is 5.4% more wearers compared to 2015.

Of those wearing contact lenses, 2.1m are daily disposable wearers and 1.8m are frequent replacement lens users.

Sharing its findings, the ACLM said that it “remains confident that the UK market for contact lenses continues to grow, and recommending contact lenses continues to provide the most effective way for practitioners to grow their business, to demonstrate comprehensive clinical expertise, and to gain greater loyalty from their patients.”