EuromContact sees numbers of contact lens wearers rise in Europe

Data from EuromContact, the European association of the contact lens and lens care industry, has revealed growing numbers of contact lens wearers in Europe, with positive trends for both daily disposable and reusable contact lens segments.

EuromContact released the 2022 market data for soft contact lenses and lens care products, with the report covering 11 European regions.

The report suggests that, in the countries covered, 6.6% of the population between 15 and 64 years old wear soft contact lenses, with total wearers up 4.76% in 2022 over 2021.

Countries where the percentage of contact lens wearers remains the highest include Denmark (13.52%), Sweden (12.29%) and Norway (11.12%).

Belgium and Luxembourg, Spain and Germany have the lowest rate, with respectively 5.03%, 4.74% and 4.35% of people wearing contact lenses.

In 2022, the market value of soft contact lenses at industry to eye care professional level grew by 11.9% to €1,710 million (approximately £1508 million) for the reported countries in Europe, the association shared.

The total lens care product market in these countries remained flat, however, at €139 million (approximately £1226 million).

In the countries considered, the daily disposable contact lens segment represents 61.5% of the market, the report suggested, and continues to experience growth, up 15.9% in value from 2021 to 2022.

The weekly/bi-weekly and monthly segment was also up 6.3% in 2022 compared to 2021, representing 38.5% of the market across the reported countries in Europe. This is the strongest segment in Spain (76%) and Germany (70.9%) in percentage of all wearers.

Sharing the report, EuromContact suggested: “New products and innovation continue to drive market growth and so provides an opportunity for practitioners to further educate patients on all relevant vision correction methods, including contact lenses, and encourage wearers to sustain good contact lens hygiene habits to protect their sight.”

The countries assessed in the report are: Belgium and Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom and Ireland.