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40 VISION MONDAY/JUNE 16, 2008SPECIAL REPORTwww.visionmonday.comContact Lenses GetA Warm ReceptionNew Technology, Materials, andPatient Interest Spur GrowthBy Marge AxelradEditorial DirectorComing off of a healthy2007, contact lenscompany executives andleading distributors areanticipating another veryrobust year of growth forthe category in 2008.NEW YORK—One of the brightestsegments of today’s eyewear market,contact lens sales, outpaced the totalindustry’s retail sales gains last year bygrowing at some 3 percent to 4 percentoverall, according to Jobson/The VisionCouncil’s VisionWatch data for the 12months ending December 2007.And, they are at least keeping pacewith that rate of performance this year,too, the experts in the category tellVision Monday, despite the currenteconomic climate.Sales are being led by the very positivereception to silicone hydrogel (sihy)materials, many of which are now beingintroduced in second and third phases.Sihy’s now dominate and comprise anestimated 60 percent the market,observers reported.Also running high are the predictionsfor both torics, to serve the astigmaticpopulation, employing the new materialsand modalities, and multifocals,addressing either first-time presbyopeswho have never worn glasses and don’twant to, or long-term contact lens wearerswho want to stay in them.Optimistic, too, are executives aboutthe daily disposable modality. This isbeing spurred on by the highest patientcompliance percentages in the marketafter a year when some concerns aboutcontact lens solutions’ safety and usageprompted consumers and ECPs toreconsider the category or at least take afirst real look at it.In addition, there is a rise in the numberof eyeglass wearers who are startingto like the idea of occasional or part-timecontact lens wear. As a result, daily disposablesare projected to experienceanother year, following 2007, of healthyhigh double-digit gains.Jeff Rems, president of Optical DistributorsGroup (ODG), noted, “Theeconomy is not the greatest. But to a certainextent, it’s a resistant industry to economicdownturns. And in reality, thegrowth in contact lenses are coming fromnew products, a range of options withever-improving comfort to patients. Doctors,too, are more confident about thenew lenses and are recognizing thatmonthly and annual dispensing keepspatients compliant and in their practices.”Rems said, “We’ve been working onhelping ECPs understand and executeauto-replenishment, too, which helpstheir cash flow and builds connectionsand convenience for patients at verycompetitive costs.”Rems pointed out that while theindustry, in his estimation, grew in “highsingle digits” last year, the distributionchannel was up in double digits whileODG’s business growth exceeded that.“We’ve structured a good level of servicesand other programs to help ECPSbetter manage their business, we canhelp on the back end and contribute totheir bottom line.”Angel Alvarez, president of ABB/Conciseagreed. “Contact lens distributorshave become the major source of softlenses for independent ECPs, in 2007purchasing two thirds of their requirementsthrough this channel. Eighty-fivepercent of independents rely on distributorsfor some portion of their soft lensrequirements.”Alvarez pointed out, “At the sametime, the number of annual purchasetransactions per patient has doubled, asthe result of disposable lenses. Managingtransaction costs has become a moreCooperVision’s Avaira’s new two-week sihy lensfeatures Aquaform Technology.significant issue for ECPs. ABB/Conciseanalyses show that administrativecosts of fulfilling contact lens orders canconsume as much as 35 percent of grossprofit. Our strategy is to educate ECPsabout best management practices toreduce administrative costs.”Contact lens company leaders concurthat ECPs are recognizing gains to theirpractice health and the ability to buildpatient loyalty through their contact lensfitting, recommendations and sales.Overall, they support a sunny outlookfor the category this year.Francesco Balestrieri, president ofNorth America for CIBA Vision, said,“The U.S. market is extremely attractive;it’s the largest population-wise butalso in terms of contact lens penetration.We see the U.S. market growing veryquickly—it’s the fastest growing of allthe developed markets, taking intoaccount its estimated 6 percent growthin 2007, compared to 5 percent in Japanand a relatively flat market in Europe.“Our outlook,” Balestrieri continued,“for 2008 is another 5 percent to 6 percentgrowth overall; the first quarter was belowthat pace, but we see the market acceleratingas new technology is introduced thisyear; it’s only a temporary slowdown.”Contact lenses, he said, have a higherconsumer wearer base in the U.S.“There’s a 13 percent penetrationamong the total population and that’sthe equivalent of 25 percent of thosewho need vision correction wearing contactlenses some or all of the time. Evenwith that, there are still big opportunitiesfor growth,” Balestrieri said.The ECP in the U.S. and patientsthemselves are always part of a dynamicmarket, they are looking for better comfortand eye health; they are receptive tonew technologies, he observed. “We’venoticed that in the past year or so the dailydisposable category has taken off, growingdouble digits. Three years ago, dailieswere less than 7 percent of the total; todaythe market is passing 10 percent—it’s stillContinued on page 42Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism is scheduled to belaunched this month by Johnson and Johnson.
The Right Lens For VirtuallyEveryPresbyope.+0.50+1.00+1.25+1.50+2.00+2.50+3.00+3.50+4.00ADD POWERBIOMEDICS ® EPSPHERE POWER+6.00D to -8.00DFREQUENCY ® MULTIFOCALSPHERE POWER+4.00D to -6.00DPROCLEAR ® MULTIFOCALSPHERE POWER+6.00D to -8.00DPROCLEAR ® MULTIFOCAL TORICSPHERE POWER+20.00D to -20.00DCYLINDER POWERSUP TO -5.75DPROCLEAR ® MULTIFOCAL XRSPHERE POWER+20.00D to -20.00DFIT TODAY’S GROWING NUMBER OF PRESBYOPES WITH THE COOPERVISION TOTAL MULTIFOCAL SOLUTION.With sphere powers from +20.00 to -20.00, ADD powers up to +4.00, and cylinder powers up to -5.75, nomanufacturer offers you a wider range of multifocal products and parameters than CooperVision. We canhelp you fit virtually all of your presbyopic patients from emerging to advanced—even the growing numberof astigmatic presbyopes.Beyond a complete portfolio of lenses, CooperVision’s Total Multifocal Solution also offers an unparalleled level ofsupport, ranging from our unique Online Learning Center to our team of dedicated multifocal fitting consultants.TO LEARN MORE, VISIT COOPERVISION.COM/MULTIFOCAL©2008 CooperVision, Inc.
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