Today’s episode is a little different (in the best way) because we’re recording live from The Vision Council’s Executive Summit. This is a conference filled with CEOs, founders, and eye care industry leaders who are here to network, but more importantly, to answer one big question:
What is actually happening in our industry right now, and what do we do next?
Joining Eugene on the show are Ashley Mills (CEO) and Alysse Henkel (VP of Research & Insights) from The Vision Council, and they’re bringing something every practice owner should pay attention to: the data behind 2025.
Together, they break down what the data is revealing about patient spending, category performance, and the trade-offs consumers are making, and connect it to what practice owners should be thinking about for 2026. You’ll also get a preview as to what’s changing at Vision Expo Orlando 2026, and why the show is being designed to deliver more than excitement, it’s being designed to deliver results.
What the Data is Really Saying
Alysse breaks down what 2025 looked like through the lens of consumer behavior, category performance, and overall market movement. This is where the conversation becomes especially valuable for practice owners, because it doesn’t just report what happened. It explains what the patterns may be telling us about the decisions patients are making right now.
You’ll hear how consumers are thinking about spending, what trade-offs they’re making, and how those shifts show up differently across key categories like lenses, frames, contact lenses, and planos.
The more you understand how patients are making choices, the better you can position your practice to protect volume, maintain capture, and plan intelligently for 2026.
Planning for 2026
This episode doesn’t stop at the numbers.
Eugene, Ashley, and Alysse zoom out and connect the data to what practice owners should be thinking about in 2026, especially if exam volume continues to be pressured.
The discussion highlights why the industry can’t rely on “price increases” to carry performance forever. If exams are declining, the path forward needs to become more strategic.
This is where the episode becomes not just informative, but practical. It helps owners connect industry-wide trends to the real-world levers inside their own practice.
Vision Expo Orlando 2026
Ashley also gives a preview of what’s coming at Vision Expo Orlando 2026, and why the event is being intentionally designed as a single destination show. The goal is clear: create a stronger, more valuable experience for attendees and push vendors to show up with solutions that actually support practice growth.
Ashley shares what you can expect to see on the show floor, what’s being emphasized, and how the event is evolving based on what practices need most right now: growth support, innovation, and actionable insight, not just product showcases.
Key Takeaways
- What the 2025 numbers reveal: How exams performed in 2025 compared to 2024, and why it matters for every practice owner planning for 2026.
- How consumers are making trade-offs: What spending behavior suggests about value perception across frames, lenses, contacts, and more.
- What categories are shifting (and why): What product trends reveal about what patients still prioritize, and what they’re delaying.
- How to think about 2026 more strategically: How to interpret these signals and plan for patient behavior changes before they hit your bottom line.
- What Vision Expo Orlando 2026 will look like: What’s changing with the show, why it’s becoming a single destination event, and what attendees can expect.
- How the industry is responding: The role of innovation, vendor accountability, and advocacy in building a path forward.
In This Episode
- 00:00 | Introduction
- 03:46 | What the Vision Council Executive Summit reveals about industry priorities
- 05:20 | Vision Expo Orlando 2026
- 10:40 | How the Vision Council collects and validates industry data
- 13:36 | The 2025 market headline: growth driven by price, not volume
- 15:16 | The biggest signal: exams declined ~7% year-over-year
- 18:12 | What category performance says about consumer trade-offs
- 21:30 | Why patients delayed care
- 23:23 | The bundling problem: why patients see exams + eyewear as one expensive event
- 34:12 | Advocacy and access: what’s happening in Washington and why it matters
- 42:42 | Final takeaways
Contact Information
Connect with Ashley Mills
With over 20 years in trade association leadership and marketing, Ashley Mills has been CEO since 2016, after returning to the organization in 2016 as VP of Trade Shows & Meetings. Under her leadership, The Vision Council has transformed Vision Expo into a unified annual flagship event aimed at amplifying the industry’s voice and fostering innovation.
- Website: https://thevisioncouncil.org/
Connect with Alysse Henkel
Alysse Henkel leads the design and implementation of data systems that power large-scale analysis and consumer insights at The Vision Council. Alysse is credited with modernizing the Council’s market research infrastructure — including revamping its VisionWatch survey and pioneering big-data strategies that track trends in eyewear, telehealth, and Gen Z patient behavior.
- Website: https://thevisioncouncil.org/
Connect with Eugene Shatsman
- Website: https://www.eugeneshatsman.com/