February Optical Business Barometer Index Shows Dip for Independents’ Outlook

NEW YORK—The Optical Business Barometer (OBB), a monthly gauge of general business outlook attitudes among independent ECPs as surveyed by Jobson Research, showed a slight decrease for February 2013 rating with its latest index measuring a 3.7 for February as compared to a 3.8 measured in January 2013. The current February rating also reflects a decrease compared to that of February 2012, which stood at 3.9, but stands above February ratings from 2011 and 2010, which stood at 3.6 and 3.5, respectively.   February confidence ratings among independent ECPs for the upcoming six months in overall optical retail business dipped from 3.8 in January 2013 to 3.7 in February 2013. From January to February, the rating for eyeglasses fell from a 3.8 to 3.7; the rating for eye exams decreased from 3.8 to 3.7 while the rating for contact lenses decreased from 3.6 to 3.5.   Read the article on VMail