How The Pandemic Changed The Eyewear Market

The world saw a number of changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, both big and small. The bigger changes came from the widespread stay at home orders where people were working from home, limiting contact with other people, and only leaving the house for necessities. We still feel the effects of these changes even as more people are getting vaccinated and case numbers are dropping. One of the most notable changes that we still see today is the strong shift to online ordering and delivery, which was initially more prevalent to minimize contact during the pandemic. Today, you can online order almost anything from home decor, to groceries, and now even glasses.

In 2020 the eyewear market saw a strong increase in sales with 55% of this increase coming directly from the surge in computer and phone use during the pandemic. Customers’ needs shifted, more people were needing specialized blue light filtering glasses, specialized lenses for focusing, and corrective lenses to help with dryness and irritation. Many companies began offering online ordering for eyewear which limited the amount of contact between people, but still allowed customers to get the corrective lenses that they needed during the pandemic. This has not changed, and customers are still taking advantage of the convenience of online ordering their eyewear.

The pandemic also changed the way that people buy their eyewear in general. The cost of glasses every year was averaged at $576 a year between new frames, new lenses, and yearly eye exams. The pandemic saw millions of people losing their jobs, and this number can seem daunting to someone who needs new glasses, but also needs to put food on their table. Now, it is possible to order only replacement lenses for existing frames, significantly lowering the cost of corrective eyewear replacement. 

With the change to eyewear prices and the shift to online ordering, there has been a significant change to the corrective eyewear market. With convenient ordering, and a significantly lower price tag, getting new glasses has never been easier.