NEW YORK—All service/product categories, with the exception of contact lenses, experienced some increases in optical sales on a national level over the course of last week (Jan. 18-24), according to Jobson’s latest Practice Performance Tracker. Nationally, optical sales were up 2 index points for exams/refractions, frame units, and lens pairs, and gross revenue was up by 1 index point. Heading in the opposite direction, sales of contact lenses were down -4 index points last week.

This data continues to illustrate that the optical business has been able to maintain a relatively stable level of sales even as the pandemic continues in the U.S., reaching the milestone of 25 million confirmed total cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Regionally, optical sales increased the most in the Midwest and decreased the most in the West. Lens pairs and frame units experienced the largest increases in optical sales in the Midwest (up 5 index points) followed by exams/refractions and gross revenue (up 3 index points). The Northeast and South also saw optical sales increase, ranging from an increase of 1 index point for gross revenue in both the Northeast and South to 4 index points for frame units in the Northeast.

Optical sales in the West were flat for exams/refractions and down -2 index points for gross revenue, frame units, and lens pairs. As always, contact lenses followed their own direction, ranging from flat in the Northeast to -5 index points in the Midwest and South.

The Jobson COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker data is compiled by Jobson Research from GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze data. Another element of the report illustrates Consumer Sentiments about the COVID-19 response and purchasing intentions, with data supplied by The Vision Council.

This index baseline was developed by Jobson Research from total sales from an average 7 days in the first quarter of 2019.

Click here to view the complete Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker