Summary
The global contact lens market, as of the latest data leading up to 2020, exhibited steady growth with an expected CAGR of 4.3%. Despite this growth, contact lenses represented a relatively small portion of the overall optical market at roughly 7%. The sector experienced continued technological innovation with developments in connected lenses and potentially revolutionary "Nanodrops" for correcting visual impairments.
In France, despite a preference for glasses, the contact lens market showed a modest increase of 5.4%. However, France's trade balance in contact lenses remained significantly import-heavy. Overall healthcare spending in France on medical goods continued to rise, reaching €203.5 billion, signaling a potential for growing demand in the contact lens sector as well. The "100% Health Reform" introduced in France may impact the market, although contact lenses are not included in the initiative's zero out-of-pocket cost basket.
Trends and Insights into the Contact Lens Market in France
The contact lens market in France has demonstrated significant potential for expansion. Corrective lenses largely dominate this sector, and a series of legislative changes beginning have spurred market liberalization, particularly by allowing online sales of contact lenses, leading to structural changes in market dynamics. Globally, the contact lens market is valued at around €6.87 billion and has been growing steadily, with a prediction to reach upwards of €9 billion in the coming years. In comparison to the vast optical market, contact lenses only represent a small fraction; however, it is an area with substantial growth prospects.
In France, the market has been buoyed by relaxed legislative frameworks, which have in turn encouraged market penetration. The French market for contact lenses is valued at nearly €351 million, showcasing a steady growth rate, albeit lower than other regions, with a CAGR of about 1.3% over a five-year period. Shifting our focus to the consumption behavior in France, it is clear that the French population has been somewhat hesitant to adopt contact lenses compared to their European counterparts, with only a small percentage of the population utilizing them. Despite a significant number of individuals with vision problems, the penetration of contact lens use is relatively low, presenting a ripe opportunity for market growth.
Healthcare expenditure in France, including for medical optics, has been increasing, reaching over €200 billion in recent years, with per capita expenditure amounting to over €3000. Optical expenses, in particular, stand strong with a notable increase, mainly due to higher reimbursements from complementary insurance schemes. In terms of distribution, the sector shows a positive trend with an increasing number of optical retailers and employees, indicating a strengthening market presence. Concerning product types, contact lenses span from soft to rigid, with varying lifespans and functionalities, catering to different user needs, including corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic applications. As for pricing trends, there has been an upward trajectory, with the Consumer Price Index for medical optics rising since 2007, and lens wearers generally incurring higher annual costs compared to those who opt for glasses.
Regulatory aspects also play a crucial role in determining market behavior. The French government's coverage of lenses is limited to specific conditions, and while a new healthcare reform aims to offer zero-charge options for some health goods, contact lenses fall outside this benefit. With legislative changes, growing health expenditures, and underpenetrated demand coupled with.
Key Players Shaping the Contact Lens Market Landscape
The contact lens market, a crucial segment of the global optical industry, is steered by a mix of international giants and niche local players, each contributing their expertise and innovation to cater to a diverse consumer base. Here's a glimpse into some of the prominent companies that lead the market dynamics:
- International Laboratories and Manufacturers :
- Johnson & Johnson: A household name across various sectors, Johnson & Johnson also holds a formidable presence in the contact lens market. As a global healthcare juggernaut, the company delivers a wide range of vision care products through its well-established brand, ACUVUE®.
- Bausch + Lomb: Another titan in the field, Bausch + Lomb brings a historic legacy of innovation to the contact lens industry. They are renowned for offering an extensive portfolio of eye health products, including contact lenses that cater to a variety of needs, from vision correction to treatment of specific eye conditions.
- CooperVision: Specializing in contact lenses, CooperVision has made a mark with its high-quality products tailored for different refractive errors, lifestyles, and wearing schedules. Their commitment to blending science and design has spurred numerous advancements in the contact lens industry.
- Johnson & Johnson: A household name across various sectors, Johnson & Johnson also holds a formidable presence in the contact lens market. As a global healthcare juggernaut, the company delivers a wide range of vision care products through its well-established brand, ACUVUE®.
- French Laboratory
- LCS (Laboratoire de Contactologie Spécialisée): LCS stands out in the French market with its specialty in custom-made contact lenses. The company is particularly noted for their patented EyeBrid® technology, a hybrid lens design that offers the comfort of a soft lens with the visual clarity of a rigid center.
- LCS (Laboratoire de Contactologie Spécialisée): LCS stands out in the French market with its specialty in custom-made contact lenses. The company is particularly noted for their patented EyeBrid® technology, a hybrid lens design that offers the comfort of a soft lens with the visual clarity of a rigid center.
- Optician Chains:
- Alain Afflelou: As one of the leading chains in France, Alain Afflelou is recognized for their broad assortment of optical products, including a substantial collection of contact lenses, expert advice, and personalized services.
- Krys Group: Operating with a cooperative business model, Krys Group prides itself on high-quality optical services and products. Their comprehensive range spans across various types of contact lenses, making vision correction accessible and convenient for consumers.
- Optic 2000: With a strong network of stores, Optic 2000 offers a diverse array of vision correction solutions. The chain is a vital player providing a blend of product variety and professional optometric services, including contact lens fitting and consultations.
- Alain Afflelou: As one of the leading chains in France, Alain Afflelou is recognized for their broad assortment of optical products, including a substantial collection of contact lenses, expert advice, and personalized services.
- Pure Player:
- DirectVision: As an online platform specializing in the distribution of contact lenses, DirectVision has quickly adapted to consumer preferences.
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- Number of pages : 30 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update : 20/03/2024
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Contact lenses are a type of optical equipment consisting of a thin lens placed on the eye to correct a visual problem, treat an eye defect or improve appearance. Together with corrective eyewear and sunglasses , they form part of the category of optical equipment. This study will consider the entire contact lens value chain, from manufacture to distribution and consumption by the end customer. However, particular attention will be paid to corrective lenses rather than therapeutic or cosmetic lenses, as corrective lenses account for a very large share of the contact lens market in France.
Growing slowly at the turn of the century, the contact lens market in France has been reinvigorated since 2014 by a series of laws and new lein particular, the formalization of online sales has profoundly altered the structure of the market. The market experienced very strong growth after the pandemic (+15.2% between 2020 and 2021), due to changes in behavior or the resumption of habits following the recovery. Despite a dip in 2022 due to global inflation, the market is expected to resume growth from 2023 onwards.
While the contact lens manufacturing market is rather condensed, the distribution market is much more fragmented, with the number of optician outlets steadily increasing since 2007. The French contact lens market is growing , and its share of the optical market is also increasing: by 2022, it will account for 7.7% of the medical optical market . Nevertheless, it faces new challenges: connected lenses, less polluting lenses, changes in behavior with the democratization of surgical masks...
1.2 Global market growth
Within a global optics market valued at nearly *** billion euros in ****, the global contact lens market weighed in at around *.* billion dollars in the same year. The contact lens market grew by +**.*% between **** and ****, before dropping by *% in ****, notably due to global inflation, discouraging consumers and prompting them to forego purchases ...
1.3 The booming domestic market
The French contact lens market reached around *** million euros in ****[***]. The French contact lens market grew by +**% between **** and ****, representing very intense growth over the period. What's more, it has grown faster than the French optical market, accounting for an increasingly significant share of that market: it represented *% of the market ...
1.4 Foreign trade
France's trade balance for contact lenses is heavily in deficit, with imports in **** amounting to $***.* million, compared with exports of just $**.* million. Imports, on the other hand, grew by +**.*% between **** and ****, a sign of a very strong recovery in world trade following the restrictions imposed by the health crisis. In ****, France's ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand still marginal but with potential
The French still wear few contact lenses, both in comparison with other European countries and in relation to the number of spectacle wearers.
The French prefer glasses
In ****, around * out of * French people will have corrective eyewear. Poor visual health tends to increase with age. Indeed, while **% of **-** year-olds need ...
2.2 Healthcare spending on the rise in France
Consumption of medical care and goods, including contact lenses, has been rising steadily for several years. This expenditure represented ***.* billion euros in ****, and reached ***.* billion euros in ****, or *.*% of French GDP. Over the period, consumption has therefore risen by **.*%. It is estimated that in ****, annual consumption of medical care and goods ...
2.3 French preferences
Reasons for choosing lenses
While discomfort is the main reason why contact lenses are abandoned(***), contact lens wearers point to numerous advantages over glasses.
Reasons for wearing contact lenses France, ****, in Source: ****
France's favorite opticians
In ****, France's favorite optical brand is Optic ****. This top ranking is primarily due to the richness ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain
The care pathway and the different healthcare professionals involved
Only an ophthalmologist can issue a prescription for contact lenses, but not all ophthalmologists practice contactology. During the appointment, the specialist examines the eyes through various tests, then draws up the prescription according to the person's specific needs. The first prescription is ...
3.2 Contact lens manufacturing
The contact lens manufacturing sector is highly concentrated, dominated by a handful of laboratory manufacturers, including Bausch & Lomb, Ciba Vision, Cooper Vision, Johnson & Johsnon, Menicon... These laboratories are major international groups.
Among the French laboratories manufacturing contact lenses is LCS, specialized in premium made-to-measure lenses. The company holds a patent for ...
3.3 Distribution and profitability
Contact lens distribution
Here we consider the data provided by NAF code **.**A "Optical retailing", which includes the activities of opticians. Note, however, that this code does not include all types of lens distributors. In contrast to the lens and eyewear manufacturing activity, the number of establishments and employees increased between ...
3.4 The boom in online sales since they became official
Online contact lens sales accelerated sharply with the formalization of Internet lens sales in **** (***). In ****, while only *% of French people believe they will favor online purchases for their optical expenses, this figure rises to **% for contact lens purchases[***]. The digitalization of the sector is therefore booming.
This liberalization has also altered ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 The different types of contact lenses
By type and lifespan
Depending on how they're made, lenses can be soft or rigid, and they don't all require the same frequency of renewal. The choice among all these parameters is made by the ophthalmologist when prescribing lenses.
Soft lenses
Soft lenses can be daily, bi-monthly or monthly. The most ...
4.2 An upward trend in lentil prices
If we consider the data provided by INSEE for the "medical optics" category, we observe that the consumer price index for medical optics items has been on the rise since ****, gaining +*.*% over ****-****[***].
Consumer price index for medical optics France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****
Annual budget of a contact lens wearer ...
4.3 Supply trends
Lenses and the environment
The contact lens market is particularly polluting, especially as many consumers use daily lenses. According to an American study published in the NY Times, around **% of contact lens users flush their lenses down the toilet or sink. This waste then inevitably finds its way into the oceans, ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulations governing the sale of contact lenses
Prior to ****, internet sales of healthcare products (***) were prohibited in France. The European Commission then obliged France to open up the market to online opticians, but the market remained without a legislative framework for several years following this decision. The online sale of optical products was then gradually regulated by a ...
5.2 Social Security reimbursement
Assurance Maladie covers only a very small proportion of contact lenses, and mainly those prescribed for reasons other than the correction of a visual problem. The lenses covered are those prescribed for the following reasons:
Irregular astigmatism Accommodative squint Myopia greater than or equal to * dioptres Aphakia Anisometropia up to * diopters ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Bausch & Lomb
- Johnson & Johnson Vision Care
- Cooper Vision
- Laboratoires Alcon - CIBA VISION
- Atol Les Opticiens
- Afflelou
- Krys Group
- Malentille.com
- Direct Optic (Acuitis Groupe)
- Sensee
List of charts
- World market for contact lenses
- Number of establishments under code 32.50B
- Workforce under code 32.50B
- Consumption of medical optics and contact lenses
- Main customer countries
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The contact lens market | France
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