ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The average retail selling price for prescription lenses has increased slightly over the past year, about 3 percent from $140.16 to $144.44 from the 12-month period ending June 2013 to the 12-month period ending June 2014, according to statistics just released by VisionWatch, the large scale continuous research study conducted by The Vision Council.
Lens prices have been increasing for about four years now, with prices climbing sharply in 2012 and 2013, according to Stephen Kodey, senior director of industry research for The Vision Council, who released these statistics in August 2014. Prices during the June 2014 period are now higher than they were before the recession started, up by 10.3 percent when compared with prices from the 12-month period ending June 2008.
Prices were up most among independent eyecare professional retailers, up 4.2 percent, mostly the result of a rise in prices for existing products but also due to an increase in sales of higher quality, higher priced lens products, such as digitally surfaced progressive addition lenses, high-index lenses, and premium anti-reflective lenses.
Source: VisionWatch, the large scale continuous research study conducted by The Vision Council