The Vision Council Releases April COVID-19 Optical Impact Consumer Study

The Vision Council has released the results of the April COVID-19 Optical Impact Consumer Study. The study, which launched in February and has continued since then as part of The Vision Council’s monthly VisionWatch consumer survey, gauges consumers’ level of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic and tracks trends related to their interactions with eyecare providers, eye exam intent and eyewear purchases.

“As the complex implications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact our industry, we have been closely monitoring how consumer sentiment is changing,” Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council, said in a news release. “By tracking daily response patterns, the research team has been able to identify subtle shifts in consumer sentiment toward eyecare and vision correction that are extremely important to understand. We are committed to keeping our community informed as the situation continues to evolve.”

Key findings from the April COVID-19 Optical Impact Study include:

• By the last week in April, 61 percent of the U.S. adult population were highly-to-extremely concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic, down from a high of 71 percent of the population during the week of April 5.
• The percentage of consumers postponing or canceling Rx eyewear purchases dropped from a high of 38 percent during the week of April 12 to 29 percent during the week of April 26.
• More than one third of U.S. adult consumers were still staying in touch with their eyecare provider in March and April, even with most offices shut down preventing in-person contact or visits. Consumers were most likely to be using regular telephone calls, email/phone text exchanges and social media video apps to stay in touch with their ECP during the COVID-19 crisis.

The full report can be found here.The survey will continue to be conducted this month to monitor changes in consumer sentiment.

The Vision Council’s research team will provide an updated view on consumer, member and eyecare provider sentiment and behavior on Thursday, May 21 at 12 noon EDT as part of the Member Insights Webinar Series. Click here to register for the webinar.

VisionWatch is an ongoing study that provides The Vision Council’s members with exclusive insights into the optical marketplace’s current and historical trends, retailer shares, consumer traits and demographic breakdowns. The Vision Council issues other topical research reports throughout the year that are available for purchase.