NEW YORK—In the latest Optical Business Barometer (OBB) report from Jobson Optical Research, which gauges the attitudes about their business and their business outlook among independent eyecare professionals, reports showed that Q2 of 2017 showed the highest rates of gain (quarter to previous year quarter) yet recorded in the Optical Business Barometer.

These Q2 2017 results came after a relatively weak Q1 2017, and the combined Q1/Q2 gains for 2017 put the first half of 2017 just about even with the first half of 2016 for Overall Optical, Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses and Exams.

However, one factor that differentiates this data is that Q1 of 2016 was relatively strong while Q2 of 2016 was relatively weak which is a reversal of the Q1/Q2 2017 analysis.

Additionally, when surveying independents, 36 percent said that they sell two times more sunglasses in the summer and 95 percent said that they keep the same hours during the summer and winter seasons. Among the independents surveyed, 48 percent said that the retail price of digital/free form progressive slightly increased, and 17 percent stated that more patients adapt to a new fit of digital progressive lenses as compared to conventional progressive lenses.

The Optical Business Barometer (OBB) is designed to gauge the optical business trends of eyecare professionals at independent optical locations and to provide independent optical retailers with a comparative "how's business" benchmark.

OBB is a study of a representative sample of independent optical retailers (single locations and groups of no more than 3 locations). It is conducted online by Jobson Optical Research and is designed to take the temperature of the independent optical business.

For more information or to purchase the complete Optical Business Barometer report with more data and trends on the independent ECP business, contact Jennifer Waller jwaller@jobson.com at Jobson Research.