Patients are waiting longer. They are more concerned about cost. Practices are feeling the pressure of the economy.

None of that is particularly surprising.

But then the latest industry data shows something much more interesting:

When certain patients do come in, and when they decide to buy, they appear willing to spend considerably more.

Interestingly, the data suggests this influence often comes down to one key player: 41% of consumers point to the optician as the primary person guiding their purchasing decisions.

In this week’s episode of Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Kris Stevens, Vice President of Research at The Vision Council, to unpack some of the freshest data available on what is actually happening inside the optical market.

And this is not a small sample.

The Vision Council is analyzing roughly 2.2–2.5 million transactions per year, alongside recurring consumer research and direct feedback from providers across the country.

The picture that emerges is complicated, but hidden inside the numbers are some very clear opportunities for independent practices.

Patients Are Waiting Longer

The Vision Council recorded 28.8 million comprehensive eye exams in Q1 and 28.2 million in Q2, approximately 2.5 million fewer exams during the first half of the year compared with the same period the year before.

That represents roughly a 4% decline in exam volume, and consumers are telling us why.

Approximately 24% of those who delayed an exam said cost was the reason. Among regular contact lens wearers, only 79% reported purchasing contact lenses within the previous year, meaning roughly one in five had gone at least a year without buying them.

The economic pressure is real, but that is only half of the story.

Fewer People Are Buying. The Ones Who Do Are Spending More.

Frame and lens unit volume are both down approximately 5%.

Normally, that would sound like bad news.

Then Kris shares the average transaction values.

In Q1 of the prior year, the typical frame carried a value of approximately $113, while lenses averaged around $185, putting the typical pair of glasses around $300.

In Q1 of this year?

• Frames rose to approximately $158.
• Lenses climbed to approximately $247.
• That puts the typical pair around $405.

Consumers may be buying less often, but when they do buy, they are spending significantly more. That contradiction becomes one of the most important conversations in the episode.

The Consumer Isn’t Necessarily Looking for “Cheap”

Cost matters.

The Vision Council says 53% of consumers identify cost as an important consideration when thinking about new frames or eyewear.

But that does not mean the answer is automatically discounted.

Kris describes focus-group research showing that consumers will invest when someone can clearly explain why the product is worth the investment.

And one person has enormous influence over that decision: the optician.

In the data, 41% of consumers identified the optician as the primary person influencing their frame purchase decision. Some consumers described what they wanted almost like having a knowledgeable friend walk through the store with them, someone who understands the options and helps them make the right decision.

That creates a major opportunity for independent practices. The consumer may be more cautious, but they can still be persuaded by value.

Are Patients Buying Somewhere Else, Or Not Buying At All?

This may be one of the most important distinctions in the entire episode.

When a patient leaves your office without purchasing eyewear, it is easy to assume they went online. But the data does not necessarily support that conclusion.

Kris says online purchasing has remained around 15–16% for several years.

As purchasing declines, consumers do not appear to be moving online at the same rate. Many may simply be deferring the purchase altogether.

That changes the problem. You may not be competing against another optical. You may be competing against the consumer deciding, “I’ll wait.”

The Opportunity Hidden Inside an Empty Chair

Eugene brings additional independent-practice data into the conversation.

The average returning patient in his dataset has moved from roughly 442 days between exams in 2024 to more than 500 days in 2026.

At the same time, exam-only has climbed from approximately 56% to nearly 59%.

Patients are coming less frequently. More of them are leaving without purchasing, and yet the patients who do buy are spending more.

That creates an interesting strategic question: If the patients who make it into your chair can be worth more, should you be investing more aggressively in getting the right patients into that chair?

For Eugene, that is where some optimism emerges from otherwise concerning numbers.

Value Communication May Be the Growth Lever

The consumer has not disappeared, they’ve just become harder to convince.

That makes the ability to communicate value more important than ever.

Why this lens? Why this treatment? Why this frame? Why this technology? Why should the patient buy it from your practice instead of delaying the decision another six months?

According to the numbers, when consumers understand the value, many are still willing to spend, and that means independent practices still have something they can control:

How clearly they communicate why what they offer is worth buying.

Key Takeaways

• The 4% Exam Decline | Understand why millions fewer exams are occurring and what consumer research says about cost, delayed care and changing purchasing behavior.
• The $300-to-$405 Eyewear Shift | See why frame and lens volume can fall while the average value of a complete pair of glasses rises dramatically, and what that may reveal about the customers who are still buying.
• Where the Missing Purchases Are Going | Learn why patients leaving without eyewear may not simply be buying online. Many consumers appear to be postponing the purchase altogether.
• The Optician’s Influence | Discover why the person guiding the eyewear conversation may have more influence over the buying decision than many practice owners realize.
• The 16% Smart Eyewear Signal | Explore why smart eyewear is moving beyond an emerging trend and becoming a category independent practices may need to take much more seriously.
• The Opportunity Inside the Data | Learn why fewer exams and more price-conscious consumers do not necessarily mean practices have to accept slower growth, especially if they can improve patient acquisition, experience and value communication.

Put The Eyecare B.O.S.S. to Work in Your Practice

Are you reading The Eyecare B.O.S.S. yet?

Thousands of copies of the growth manual have already been sold, but the book is only the beginning. If you’re ready to start implementing the systems inside your own practice, visit EyecareBoss.com.

There are more than 40 free tools available to download, including the same tools used with practices to help turn the concepts in the book into execution.

And the results are worth paying attention to.

Across a year-long study involving approximately 25 practice locations, participating practices saw average:

Refractions increase 19.4%. Revenue increase 23.9%.

In a market where much of the industry is flat, those results stand out.

You can use the book and tools independently, work alongside other practice owners in a group, or get one-on-one coaching support. Your call.

Your dream practice is waiting for you. Visit EyecareBoss.com

• The 4% Exam Decline | Understand why millions fewer exams are occurring and what consumer research says about cost, delayed care and changing purchasing behavior.
• The $300-to-$405 Eyewear Shift | See why frame and lens volume can fall while the average value of a complete pair of glasses rises dramatically, and what that may reveal about the customers who are still buying.
• Where the Missing Purchases Are Going | Learn why patients leaving without eyewear may not simply be buying online. Many consumers appear to be postponing the purchase altogether.
• The Optician’s Influence | Discover why the person guiding the eyewear conversation may have more influence over the buying decision than many practice owners realize.
• The Opportunity Inside the Data | Learn why fewer exams and more price-conscious consumers do not necessarily mean practices have to accept slower growth, especially if they can improve patient acquisition, experience and value communication.

• Connect with Kris Stevens

  Kris Stevens is Vice President of Research at The Vision Council, where he leads the organization’s inSights Research Program and oversees market intelligence, industry analysis, and custom research initiatives for the optical industry. He joined The Vision Council in 2022 and has played a key role in modernizing its research infrastructure, including developing the market model behind its annual Market inSights reports and building interactive tools such as its Tariff Dashboard. Prior to joining The Vision Council, Stevens worked as a data scientist at the Kentucky Center for Statistics, using data to inform workforce and education policy.

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopherdelanestevens/ 
  • Website: https://thevisioncouncil.org/ 

• Connect with Eugene Shatsman

  Eugene Shatsman is Host of Power Hour, Managing Partner of National Strategic Group, and Co-Creator of The Eyecare B.O.S.S. A growth strategist and consultant to hundreds of optometric practices nationwide, Eugene specializes in scaling independent eye care businesses through structured strategy, data, marketing science, and operational clarity.

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneshatsman/
  • Website: https://eyecareboss.com