Latest News September 2014 Optical Business Rating Shows Decrease From August, Increase From Previous Years By Staff Monday, October 20, 2014 12:30 AM NEW YORK—The latest Optical Business Barometer (OBB) from Jobson Optical Research showed that the overall optical business rating has decreased from a 3.88 rating in August 2014 to a 3.71 rating in September. However, results also showed that the overall rating for September 2014 is higher than all previous ratings for September over the past four years—September ratings stood at 3.56 in 2013, 3.57 in 2012, 3.48 in 2011 and 3.32 in 2010. Between August and September 2014, the confidence rating, measuring independent eyecare professionals' outlook for overall optical retail business for the upcoming six months, also decreased, showing a 3.77 for September compared to a 3.94 rating in August. However, the September 2014 confidence rating is higher than the confidence rating for the same period in all previous years, comparing to 3.67 in 2013, 3.65 in 2012, 3.54 in 2011 and 3.53 in 2010. The September 2014 monthly scores for eyeglasses, exams and contact lenses all showed increases from previous years as well. The September rating for eyeglasses rose from 3.49 in 2013 to 3.67 in 2014; the rating for exams rose from 3.57 in 2013 to 3.77 in 2014; and the rating for contact lenses rose from 3.47 in 2013 to 3.67 in 2014. Year-to-date average ratings for January through September 2014 for eyeglasses, exams and contact lenses have also risen since the same period in 2013. Jobson's OBB is further compared to the Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board, which decreased in September to 86.0 from a revised August index of 93.4. The OBB is a monthly study of a representative sample of independent optical retailers designed to gauge the optical business trends of eyecare professionals, based on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is very negative, 3 is neutral and 5 is very positive. For VM’s full report, visit the Research + Stats section on VisionMonday.com. For more information, visit jobsonresearch.com/obb or contact Jennifer Waller at (212) 274-7164 or jwaller@jobson.com.