Contact lenses crossroads: opportunity, access and the role of practitioners

A rising ageing population that will increasingly begin to experience presbyopia, paired with opportunity to support the development of young eyes through myopia management, presents the contact lens sector with opportunities for growth. But how does the profession see this opportunity presenting in practice, and how can it be embraced now and over the next decade?

OT partnered with contact lens manufacturer, CooperVision, on a recent OT Insights survey, which aimed to capture and explore how eye care practitioners (ECPs) work with and view the contact lens category today, where they see the opportunities, and what barriers need to be addressed.

Director of marketing and professional affairs in the UK & Ireland at CooperVision, Lucy Davies, told OT: “Eye care practitioners are at the forefront of the contact lens category. Through this survey, we wanted to understand, from their direct experience in practice and with patients, what they see as the opportunities and challenges for the category in the future.”

The UK online survey was live in February to March and taken by over 820 AOP members.

What survey respondents revealed was an opportunity for growth, but one that requires practitioner confidence, patient education and evolving practice models.

Here we explore the findings.

A category with untapped potential

Looking ahead, 49% of respondents predicted that in the next five to 10 years the role contact lenses play within UK optometric practice will be ‘bigger’ or ‘much bigger’ than today.

Delving into the direction in which ECPs believe the contact lens market will head, 71% of practitioners predicted lifestyle as a key driver for growth, something which CooperVision sees in its own research and patient insights.

“When consumers think about contact lenses, their motivation is usually driven by their lifestyle needs rather than their clinical requirements,” Davies explained.

She told OT: “From our research we know that 71% of dual wearers enjoy wearing contact lenses as they don’t get dirty or fog up,¹ and that 55% were motivated to try contact lenses because glasses were really inconvenient for doing certain activities,² which demonstrates that lifestyle benefits really are a key driver for contact lens wear.”

Regulation and technology in relation to remote care were ranked by ECPs as having the biggest influence on the future of contact lenses in the UK.

Furthermore, almost half of practitioners (47%) predicted that the patient journey will become increasingly hybrid in the next five years, combining in-practice and remote care to make better use of patients’ time.

Professional affairs manager at CooperVision, Chithra Dhanabalan, highlighted the potential impact that this could have on patient experience and satisfaction in contact lens wear.

Convenience is a key driver for patients. “From a patient perspective, virtual clinics can offer significant cost savings by reducing travel, parking, and potential loss of earnings for visits,”³ she said.

^“These learnings can also be applied to contact wearers, with 67% of new wearers agreeing that digital technology would improve their experience of the contact lens journey,”⁴ she added.

However, when asked how important practitioners felt remote care would be in all stages of the contact lens journey in the future, survey respondents were realistic, with 54% saying it would be ‘helpful but limited.’

For CooperVision, improving efficiency and retention to drive category growth is key and begins before the patient enters the practice, with remote care tools offering potential to support this shift.

“Patients do not wish to make multiple visits to be fitted with contact lenses,” Dhanabalan said, pointing to data showing that 79% of potential wearers expect just one to three visits during the trial period.⁵

“Using technology such as lifestyle questionnaires and online pre-ordering can ensure lenses are ready on the day of the appointment,” she added.

Pre-appointment education is another opportunity. “Aftercare and handling videos can be shared in advance via platforms like our My Lens Life programme,⁶ helping patients arrive better prepared for their teach appointment,” Dhanabalan said.

“They are also ideal for check-ins and post-fit follow-up,” Dhanabalan explained, particularly given that only 57% of patients who received post-trial support were contacted by their practice.^*7

However, reservations around remote care were also highlighted in the survey and centred on patient safety (85%), professional accountability (69%) and regulatory clarity (59%), the three most commonly selected responses when practitioners were asked about their concerns.

Director of Simon Falk Eyecare, contact lens specialist, Julie Clarkson, reflected survey findings, telling OT: “Remote care has a role, particularly in triage and initial discussions, helping guide patients and improve access. The biggest benefit it provides is efficiency and flexibility, allowing patients to be directed appropriately and seen when necessary.”

Enthusiasm and expertise are key, as is recognising contact lenses as a service rather than just a product

Business benefits

For practice owners responding to the survey, 41% expected contact lenses to become a ‘slightly’ bigger part of their business in the next five to 10 years, while 31% predicted no change.

Cost for the patient (45%) and patient retention (34%) were selected as the two main factors limiting growth of contact lenses in their practices currently, while patient education (26%), and simpler fitting and aftercare (20%) were seen as key to helping contact lenses become more central to practice.

Davies acknowledged that improving retention is critical to unlocking the future potential of contact lenses.

She shared research by the contact lens manufacturer that found that 35% of contact lens wearers drop out within the first 12 months,⁸ demonstrating that “support in the early months of wear is key.”

Davies highlighted that tools such as CooperVision’s My Lens Life programme⁶ are “designed to help practices and ECPs to guide their patients into transitioning to be successful and long-term contact lens wearers through enhanced support during the early days of wear.” From a cost perspective, Davies acknowledged the possible difficulties, sharing that research by CooperVision has found that 22%⁹ of contact lens wearers drop out due to cost, and 11%¹⁰ of glasses wearers are put off contact lenses due to cost.

However, she emphasised: “CooperVision has an extensive range of contact lenses, with a variety of price points, providing practitioners with a range of options to meet patient needs.”¹¹

While contact lenses already play a central role in Clarkson’s practice, she advised that for other practices, “growth would require greater confidence in fitting, adoption of systems like Direct Debit schemes, and having a practitioner who is focused on contact lenses.”

“Enthusiasm and expertise are key, as is recognising contact lenses as a service rather than just a product,” she told OT.

Currently, Clarkson finds cost a “real concern for patients,” re-emphasising the role Direct Debit schemes can play in allowing patients to spread costs and access additional benefits through appointments and discounts.

“This avoids large upfront payments and makes lenses feel more accessible,” she said.

As well as opening accessibility, Clarkson noted the retention benefits that schemes can have by “building loyalty and ensuring ongoing care.”

“Follow-ups, emails, and occasional newsletters are used to maintain engagement,” she added.

CooperVision

Director of marketing and professional affairs in the UK & Ireland at CooperVision, Lucy Davies

We see two of the key opportunities for growth within the contact lens category as encouraging a lifetime of wear through enabling more children to enjoy the freedom of contact lenses, and supporting presbyopes in their journey into multifocal contact lenses

Presenting presbyopia penetration

The primary two developments believed to have the greatest impact on contact lenses in UK practice are improved multifocal performance (81%) and myopia management designs (76%), according to survey respondents.

In line with this, 49% of survey respondents said the UK’s ageing population presented a “significant opportunity” for the contact lens market, while 85% said multifocal contact lenses would be ‘critical’ or ‘important’ to contact lens growth.

An ageing UK population is central to category shift. “Older adults offer a key opportunity for contact lens category growth,” Davies said, while noting the parallel influence of children through soft lenses and myopia management.

Together, these groups represent untapped potential that practices may not yet be fully leveraging.

“We see two of the key opportunities for growth within the contact lens category as encouraging a lifetime of wear through enabling more children to enjoy the freedom of contact lenses, and supporting presbyopes in their journey into multifocal contact lenses,” Davies shared.

“Both age groups have significant untapped potential,^12,13 and with new product development over the past decade, there are more options available to meet their needs than ever before. The main barrier for these age groups is understanding that contact lenses could be an option for them, with a significant proportion of these groups relying on their ECP to make a recommendation if they were suitable,”^14,15 she added.

Davies reinforced the role of the practitioner in closing that gap. “We know that presbyopes, as well as parents and children, rely heavily on their ECP to present contact lenses as an option,”^14,15 she said.

“Discussing contact lenses with as many patients as possible is key to driving the category forward, she added.

The breadth of options reinforces a wider shift in how contact lenses are positioned in practice. “With the choice and range of lenses now available, the real evolution comes from thinking about contact lenses in the same way as spectacles, offering them to everyone,” Dhanabalan said.

Clarkson agreed: “It comes down to how they are presented in practice and you have to talk about these options with everyone.”

Reflecting her experience in practice, Clarkson said: “Multifocal lenses can be challenging, particularly in achieving consistent vision quality for working presbyopes,” but has found that careful communication and realistic expectations, paired with practitioner expertise supports this.

“Patients are also in contact lenses longer than in the past and we should be supporting them,” she added.

CooperVision

CooperVision is committed to supporting practitioners beyond the product itself

Myopia and matching expectations

With 76% of practitioners describing contact lenses as “very important” or a “must-have” for myopia management over the next five to 10 years, their role in this space is set to expand.

Despite this progress, barriers remain around cost for families, parent understanding, and ECP confidence.

For Clarkson, myopia management is already a significant part of practice, with many patients coming through word-of-mouth referrals.

She identified cost as a key challenge, explaining that “Direct Debit schemes help manage this, as does understanding, particularly for parents unfamiliar with the condition, and confidence, both for practitioners and patients.”

“Education is handled through detailed emails and extended consultations to allow parents time to understand the option,” she added.

“CooperVision is committed to supporting practitioners beyond the product itself,” Dhanabalan said, emphasising that “there’s a wide range of take-home materials and a parent-friendly website, designed to support conversations and reinforce understanding outside the practice.”

She added that education also spans clinical training and communication support, alongside e-learning, lectures, and CPD workshops.

Fulfilling future potential

While confidence in the future of the contact lens category is strong, it is shaped by patient expectations and clinical capabilities.

Comfort and performance (56%), patient requirements (41%), and retention (27%) were identified by ECPs as the greatest risks to future engagement with contact lens wearers.

Dhanabalan said: “Comfort, handling and vision are key to retention,¹⁶ which is why we developed technologies like Aquaform® Technology to deliver a flexible, comfortable lens.”

Professional awareness is also a key factor, Dhanabalan said, noting that many practitioners are surprised by the breadth of correction options available.

Davies told OT: “CooperVision’s contact lens range can offer a vision correction solution to 99.96% of patients, and we are continually evolving our portfolio.”¹¹

Related article

Contact lenses through a lifetime

OT, in partnership with CooperVision Ltd, asked members for their views on prescribing contact lenses, with a particular focus on young and presbyopic eyes. Here are our findings