The February edition of dba: Doing Business in Optical’s Local Markets explores the economics of success for mid-size regional and local optical retailers at www.visionmonday.com/dba.

In this month’s dba q&a, executives from a number of these optical groups describe the economic conditions that are having an impact on their business plans for 2013, and they also predict how the impending full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is likely to affect their plans for the upcoming year.

Also, the newest Transitions Regional Retailer of the Year, SVS Vision Optical Centers, describes the steps it took to achieve the success that brought it this honor. In addition, Brad McCorkle of Local Eye Site covers online recruitment in the “In Your Employ” section.

Regular dba contributor, Jay Binkowitz, optometric business consultant and president/CEO of GPN, exclusive provider of business software solution The EDGE, details how to increase practice revenue by lens bundling in conjunction with vision care plans. ■


Latest Statistics Show Optical Chains’ Lens and Frame Sales Both on the Rise

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Optical chains’ share of lens and frame sales have held steady at around 28 percent over the past three years, according to the latest VisionWatch Consumer Barometer conducted by The Vision Council, as illustrated by the bar graphs below. However, in absolute numbers, optical chains’ lens sales have increased 10.1 percent for the 12 months ending September 2012 compared to the 12 months ending September 2011, while optical chains’ frame sales increased 3.6 percent for the same time period, despite a somewhat anemic U.S. economy and sluggish job growth.

Also during the same time period, revenues increased 6 percent from $32.5 billion to $34.5 billion for the total U.S. vision care market, which, in addition to lenses and frames, also includes contact lenses, sunglasses, readers, exams and refractive surgery. ■