CLI study: Contact lens patients significantly more profitable than spectacle-only wearers

A team of ophthalmic and economics researchers have formally discovered that soft contact lens patients are significantly more profitable for optometric practices when compared to equivalent glasses-only patients, according to new data released by the Contact Lens Institute (CLI).¹ With annual upside ranging from 29% to 86%, practices are also expected to experience “substantial potential gains over a lifetime of wear” for contact lens patients, according to a news release.¹

The analysis was conducted by Philip Morgan, BSc, PhD, MCOptom, FAAO, of the University of Manchester; Lyndon Jones, DSc, PhD, FCOptom, of the University of Waterloo and the Centre of Ocular Research & Education; and Ash Morgan, PhD, and John Whitehead, PhD, both of Appalachian State University, in partnership with the CLI. The organization commissioned the study in part of its See Tomorrow initiative.¹

“The new data squarely challenges profitability myths that can creep into conversation despite a lack of evidence. For instance, prior CLI See Tomorrow work showed that more than half of eye care practices don’t even attempt to quantify the business impact of their contact lens patients. Among those who do, they significantly underestimate the relative profitability compared to glasses-only patients,” said Stan Rogaski, CLI’s executive director, in the release. “We know that wearers deeply value their contact lenses for vision, convenience, and lifestyle, and are willing to pay for those benefits. Our hope is that these findings spur practices to reconsider their approaches to providing the best possible care, including prescribing both contact lenses and glasses for patient and practice gain alike.”

In an exclusive interview with Optometry Times, Jones and Morgan said this is the first time that a study of this kind was conducted in the US. “We think this is quite a profound data set that we’re now reporting to our colleagues in the field,” Morgan said.

The study, which consisted of 20 US-based eye care practices submitting 4 years of anonymized data for 30 patients, found that toric, spheric, and multifocal contact lenses are 86%, 79%, and 29% more profitable, respectively, than equivalent glasses-only patients, according to the average annual customer-level profits collected. The average annual customer-level profits weighed in at $436 for spheres, $453 for torics, and $485 for multifocals, with $244 and $376 accounted for single vision and progressive glasses patients, respectively. Detailed operations data such as professional fees, chair time, staff compensation, and secondary revenue streams were also submitted by the participating optometrists and included in profit calculations.¹

“If you have patients attending your practice who are previous contact lens wearers, and they suffer discomfort or vision issues, modern lens can often solve that,” Jones told Optometry Times. “There's a really good reason to make that offer to them.”

The London Business School “Seeing Things Clearly” study, conducted 25 years ago, is the most recent study to compare to CLI’s, which investigated contact lens profitability in 5 European markets. The study, conducted by 15 MBA students over the course of 6 months and involving around 220 practitioners, found that contact lens patients were on average 60% more profitable than spectacle-only patients.²

“It’s clear that contact lens customers can generate greater average annual profit, even with higher service and product costs. Our findings suggest that recurring purchases, greater examination frequency, and opportunities for ancillary spending may make contact lens wearers particularly attractive from a customer lifetime value perspective,” said Morgan in the release.

According to CLI, the complete findings from the study will be published later this year in part of a comprehensive CLI See Tomorrow report.¹

References:

1. Study finds soft contact lens patients significantly more profitable than glasses-only wearers. News release. Contact Lens Institute. July 29, 2026. Accessed July 29, 2026.

2. Ritson M. Which patients are more profitable? Contact Lens Spectrum. March 1, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://www.clspectrum.com/issues/2006/march/which-patients-are-more-profitable/