Modalities, Materials, and More

The results of the 2023 U.S. Practice Profile study from Contact Lens Spectrum, an EB sister publication, are in. We share some of the takeaways here for two reasons. First, to help you meet the ever-evolving needs of your contact lens-wearing patients. And second, to help in your hiring and training plans for 2024.

What about the study itself, conducted at the end of 2023? Participating practices reported that an average of 37% of their total number of patients were contact lens wearers. Respondents shared that their practices averaged 23 contact lens fits or refits every week.

Design Details

What about the designs? Nearly 40% of lenses prescribed were spherical soft lenses. That’s nearly double any other design. This is followed by soft toric lenses (21%), soft multifocal lenses (15%), spherical corneal GPs (9%), and scleral designs (7%). 

Main Modalities

• SOFT LENSES. Lots of variety here, with ECPs reporting that just over one-third of their soft lens prescriptions were dailies, while just under 30% were one-month replacement lenses.

• MULTIFOCAL LENSES. More than half of contact lens-wearing presbyopic patients went home with a prescription for multifocal contacts. Twenty-six percent indicate a preference for monovision, and 14% for over-spectacles.

• MYOPIA CONTROL. As for myopia control, 64% of participating ECPs reported they actively practice it with contact lenses. Soft multifocals were prescribed for just over half of these young wearers, with the remaining modalities at 6% for corneal GP multifocals and 37% for orthokeratology.

Looking ahead, ECPs reported that orthokeratology lenses, followed closely by scleral lenses, will be garnering the most attention in their practices. Overall, 6 out of 10 ECPs surveyed reported they expect contact lens sales to increase in 2024. All told, the numbers presented here represent several sound reasons to dedicate resources to this important category.