NEW YORK—Outpacing the growth rate of the total optical market for the past several years running, contact lenses, as a category, have been one of the bright spots in dollar growth and stimulating new product options for patients and practitioners.

The category has seen compound annual growth rates of 6 percent to 8 percent, compared to relatively flat overall sales for eyeglasses and the category experienced an approximate 12 percent dollar sales gain in 2013 compared to the prior year, boosted by new designs, innovative materials and the rise of daily disposable and more frequent replacement options.

Find out why many ECPs are recognizing the value of contact lenses to their overall practice as well as their contributions to both revenues and profits in the latest installment of a special VM FOCUS Series: Contact Lenses Are a Practice Bright Spot.

The Long-Term Value of a Contact Lens Patient is a special four-part FOCUS Series, a collaboration between Vision Monday and Review of Optometric Business. This series will explore the ways contact lenses are contributing top and bottom line to modern eyecare practices. Click here to explore the content exclusive to Review of Optometric Business. To find out how CLs can contribute to overall practice revenues, read the first part of the VM FOCUS Series.