AAOpt 2026: CLI releases full contact lens profitability report

Following the release of major findings in July 2026,¹ the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) has released its full report on contact lens profitability.² The report, titled Profitability Perspectives: Rethinking the Value of Contact Lenses, found that contact lens patient profitability exceeds eyeglasses-only patient profitability by 29% to 86% annually in US optometric practices. CLI describes the report as the first study of its kind for the US market.^2,3

The organization plans to promote the report beginning at the American Academy of Optometry (AAOpt) 2026 Annual Meeting, held September 30 to October 3 in Anaheim, California.² Additionally, the full report and its modeling tools are available on the CLI website.³

Decisions about contact lens prescribing often weigh chair time, fitting fees, and follow-up burden against a patient's long-term value to the practice. Until now, US-specific data on the economic contribution of contact lens wearers have been lacking. The new report gives optometrists primary practice data on this question, along with tools for applying the findings to their own patient base.²

An independent research team produced the underlying analysis, consisting of Professor Philip Morgan of the University of Manchester; Professor Lyndon Jones of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo; and Professors Ash Morgan and John Whitehead of the Department of Economics at Appalachian State University.²

Between November 2025 and May 2026, the investigators gathered data sets from 20 optometry offices across the US, spanning a mix of practice settings and geographies. The data included 4 years of revenues and expenses for 600 patients, broken out by type of vision correction, plus several data points from each patient's most recent representative purchase.²

Beyond the 29% to 86% range in higher annual profits for contact lens patients vs eyeglasses-only patients, the aggregated data encompass exam frequencies, patient age and gender, and practice costs.² Additionally, the report found that seemingly small improvements to contact lens wear in patients can lead to sizable profit. “For example, a modest five-point increase (50 additional contact lens wearers) could represent approximately $295,000 in incremental revenue over 15 years, $492,000 over 25 years, and $787,000 over 40 years,” the report stated.³ “A 10 percent increase could generate nearly $1 million in incremental revenue over 25 years and more than $1.5 million over 40 years.”

Profit models

The report includes incremental and lifetime gain models with accompanying worksheets, designed to help practices estimate the potential upside of expanding contact lens prescribing. It also features video and written guidance from CLI Visionaries and a 90-day implementation plan.²

A retrospective review of prior quantitative research from CLI's See Tomorrow initiative rounds out the publication, examining how and why wearers and potential wearers value contact lenses.² CLI previously released a 12-part YouTube video series in which 3 of the researchers each offer 1-minute takes on the findings.⁴ The report focuses on practice economics and does not present clinical outcome or safety data.

The investigators tied the profitability gap directly to product performance. "This enhanced profitability only comes about due to the performance of contemporary contact lens products; this commercial upside is a downstream effect of patient satisfaction and clinical success," they wrote.²

"Contact lens wear can often signal a deeper, more durable relationship between patient and practice fostered by clinical expertise, convenience, added choice, and trust," said Stan Rogaski, CLI's executive director, in the announcement.²

For ODs, the findings offer a business case for discussing contact lens options with eligible eyeglasses wearers during routine exams. Practices can use the report's gain models and worksheets to benchmark their own patient mix before committing to workflow changes.³ Because the sample comprised 20 US offices, individual practices may see results outside the reported range depending on fee structure, product mix, and patient demographics.

References

1. Joy J. CLI study: Contact lens patients significantly more profitable than spectacle-only wearers. Optometry Times. July 29, 2026. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.optometrytimes.com/view/cli-study-contact-lens-patients-significantly-more-profitable-than-spectacle-only-wearers

2. Contact Lens Institute. CLI releases Profitability Perspectives: Rethinking the Value of Contact Lenses. News release. September 28, 2026. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://contactlensinstitute.org/

3. Contact Lens Institute. Profitability Perspectives: Rethinking the Value of Contact Lenses. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.contactlensinstitute.org/resources/see-tomorrow/cl-profits

4. Contact Lens Institute. Contact lens profitability video series. YouTube. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://tinyurl.com/CLProfits