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NEW YORK—ECP practices reflected an uptick in overall performance in the week ending May 3, according to the latest COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker. All optical product/service categories being tracked throughout the U.S. have been inching upward over the past month (except contact lenses) with the largest increase occurring last week, when comparing metrics from April 27-May 3 with the previous week of April 20-April 26. Gross Revenue was up 7 index points, following previous increases of 2 index points and 1 index point during the previous two periods. Exams/Refractions were up 8 index points, following previous increases of 2 index points and 1 index point during the previous two periods.

In addition, with at least 42 states easing stay-at-home measures to some degree this week, the number of respondents in the latest Coronavirus ECP Survey by Jobson Optical Research in a locality currently under stay-at-home measures dropped about 9 percent (from 90.8 percent to 81.7 percent).

Regionally, most of the country (the South, Midwest, and West) experienced growth similar to the country as a whole, while the Northeast also experienced increases in product/service categories but to a lesser extent of only 2 index points for Gross Revenue, Exams/Refractions, and Frames Units, and 3 index points for Lens Pairs. (Contact lenses again followed their own direction with an increase of 6 index points in the South and 3 index points in the West, a decrease of 1 index point in the Northeast, and remaining flat at 34 index points in the Midwest.)

Further, consumer attitudes for that one-week period measured by the Tracker reflected that concerns about COVID-19 remain at 60 percent levels.

Jobson Optical Research is tracking optical business metrics for the U.S. to determine the trajectory of the downturn, monitor its duration and uncover which regions first begin heading in a positive direction. The Practice Performance Tracker shows national data and illustrates Regional Breakouts of ECP practice metrics across several measures of business, including ECP gross revenues, exams and refractions, frame units, spectacle lens pairs and contact lens pairs sold by ECPs. This data is compiled by Jobson Research from GPN () 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.

Click to view the COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker for May 5, 2020.