Usa: 2003 lens market data

Based on the Vision Council of America Lens Domestics Shipments Report, the lens market declined 4.5 percent in units in 2003, with glass lenses suffering the most.

The value of the total shipments, however, expanded by 4.2 percent as prices increased by an average of 9.0 percent, the largest price growth since 1999. While all lens materials and types enjoyed a price advantage in 2003, the super high-index lenses (>1.625) experienced a significant price drop.

As in previous years, polycarbonate lenses remained strong, even grabbing the market leadership in 2003 from the scratch coated, low index (<1.525) lenses. Poly now accounts for more than 35 percent of the market. Progressives also continued to dominate the market, making up more than one-fourth of the total Vca domestic shipments in 2003.