The Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM) has released its latest EuromContact-derived statistics for the UK contact lens market – showing its value in 2023 as being £360m.
According to the Association, this represents an increase of 5.6 per cent from 2022, with the UK market currently the largest of all countries surveyed by EuromContact – accounting for around 19 per cent of wearers.
Market value of daily disposables in the UK was now estimated as being 78.8 per cent of total sales, with silicone hydrogel lenses accounting for 92.5 per cent by value of the weekly/bi-weekly and monthly market. In total, there were more than 3.9 million contact lens wearers in the UK – some 8.9 per cent of the adult population. However, the EuromContact report shows that the value of the UK contact lens care market has declined.
For its 2023 report, EuromContact surveyed 32 countries around Europe and further afield. Not all manufacturers contribute to the statistics, so RGP lenses, some care products and High Street own brand products are not reported on.
Titled ‘A comparison of European soft contact lens markets in 2023‘, the report reveals that the market value of soft contact lenses at industry to eyecare professionals level grew by 5.2 per cent in 2023 with significant growth observed in some European markets (+16.2 per cent in Belgium-Luxembourg; +11.7 per cent in Sweden). The lens care market grew by 1.3 per cent, with a significant 4.8 per cent increase in the 13 relevant European countries covered by the report
In value, daily disposables accounted for 58.9 per cent of the European market, while weekly/bi-weekly and monthly contact lenses represented 41.1 per cent. Both segments saw growth rates of 4.8 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively. Silicone hydrogels maintained their stronghold in the weekly/bi-weekly and monthly segment, capturing 83.8 per cent value share.
Read EuromContact’s market data report for 2023 in full here.