NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week, July 29–August 4, when compared with the previous week at a rate of 3 index points. That places gross revenue at a level 16 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 31) when compared with last year (2023), 21 points above the same period in 2022, 27 points above 2021, 23 points above 2020 and 26 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.

Most optical sales categories were up last week when compared with the previous week, at rates of 3 index points for gross revenue, 4 index points for exams/refractions, 5 index points for frame units, -3 index points for lens pairs and 3 index points for contact lenses. When comparing last week’s optical sales with the same period last year, most of the categories were up as well, ranging from the largest increase of 16 index points for gross revenue, to 0 index points for lens pairs.

The other categories increased by 12 index points for exams/refractions, 7 index points for frame units and 8 index points for contact lenses.

With most optical sales categories increasing last week, all five of the categories reached a level above an average week in 2019—the index baseline assigned a value of 100 for this Optical Business Tracker. These ranged from a high of 134 index points for gross revenue to a low of 101 index points for lens pairs. The other three categories reached 114 index points for exams/refractions, 108 index points for frame units and 104 index points for contact lenses.

Jobson Optical Research selected 1,500 optical locations that have been operating and reporting their sales to its partners, GPN and ABB Analyze, since 2019. The index has been rebased to an average week in 2019. Going forward, this new index base will be used as an arbitrary benchmark and assigned a value of 100.

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