Focused inSights Consumer Choices 2024

The Focused inSights: Consumer Choices 2024 report by The Vision Council provides a comprehensive look into how U.S. adults approach their vision care decisions—from scheduling eye exams to choosing eyewear products. Capturing the behaviors and preferences of more than 2,200 adults, this research explores what drives consumer choices across prescription and non-prescription eyewear categories. With year-over-year comparisons to 2022 data, the report reveals evolving attitudes toward convenience, insurance coverage, product quality, and provider influence—making it a vital resource for brands, retailers, and healthcare stakeholders seeking to understand today’s vision care consumer.

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Report Methodology

This report is based on an online survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Vision Council between August 27–28, 2024. The nationally representative sample of 2,202 U.S. adults was weighted across demographic variables including age, gender, race, education, and region. The overall margin of error is ±2 percentage points, providing high-confidence insights into consumer behaviors across multiple eyewear and eye exam experiences.

Key Findings

Eye Exam Trends and Preferences

In-person scheduling remains the most common method for eye exams, though phone scheduling grew in popularity in 2024. Key motivators for exam location include insurance network status (up to 77%), cleanliness, and previous experience with a practice. While only 11% of adults have experienced an exam with a remote doctor, nearly half say they would be open to this in the future—especially younger consumers.

Eyewear Purchase Motivations

Updated prescriptions are the top driver for purchasing prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. Use-it-before-you-lose-it insurance benefits also rose in importance, while fashion/style motivations declined. Across all categories, the influence of insurance coverage has grown significantly—especially for prescription eyeglasses, where complete coverage jumped 12 percentage points compared to 2022.

Online vs. In-Store Shopping Channels

Consumers value price, convenience, product variety, and speed when buying eyewear online. The importance of a wide product selection increased by 17 points for non-prescription eyewear. In-store purchases are still guided by factors like prior experience with the retailer, insurance acceptance, and the ability to try on products—especially for sunglasses and reading glasses.

Influence and Spending Factors

The role of eyecare providers in shaping purchasing decisions grew in 2024, particularly for prescription eyeglasses (up 6 percentage points). Discounts emerged as a major driver for both prescription and non-prescription sunglasses, while the influence of salespeople declined overall, except in the prescription eyeglasses category.

Why It Matters

Focused inSights: Consumer Choices 2024 equips optical retailers, manufacturers, insurers, and providers with the latest data on what drives eyewear-related decisions in today’s consumer landscape. From appointment logistics to spending behaviors, understanding these patterns is essential for delivering value, improving patient satisfaction, and staying competitive in an increasingly hybrid retail environment.

Report Delivery

This report is available as a downloadable PDF.

For more information, please contact The Vision Council’s Research Team.