Vision Expo East 2025: Optical industry growth with Alysse Henkel

According to Alysse Henkel, vice president of Research and inSights at The Vision Council, significant growth in Plano categories, particularly Plano sunglasses, according to a recent report on optical industry trends from 2024. Lenses and frames saw a slight decline. Growth in units sold is noted in Plano sunglasses, readers, and exams, with a stable forecast for 2025. However, economic factors and consumer spending trends, influenced by a new administration, introduce uncertainty. Despite this, early 2024 consumer spending on eyewear shows a small uptick, possibly due to early use of managed vision care benefits or anticipation of tariffs or price increases.

Key takeaways

• The 2024 market for the optical industry is valued at $68.3 billion, up 2.7% from 2023.
• The growth is primarily driven by the Plano sunglasses category, which had a strong year in 2023.
• Other categories like lenses and frames saw small declines.
• The forecast for 2025 shows market stability, with little to no growth expected across most categories.
• There is uncertainty around the forecast due to economic factors and consumer spending trends, which are being closely monitored.
• Consumer spending on eyewear has seen a small uptick in the first two months of the year, possibly due to early use of vision benefits or anticipation of price increases.
• The company is tracking consumer spending monthly to adapt the forecast as needed based on economic conditions.