More Images

NEW YORK—The news was a slight improvement in overall business revenues for the majority of eyecare professionals now open for business during the week ending June 14. While sales are continuing to improve, they rose at slower rates than experienced over the previous seven weeks (other than the slight brief downtown during the week of Memorial Day), the survey showed. This week's growth remained in the single digits or every product/service category following the previous week’s jump of about 20 index points for all categories.

This smaller growth over the past week, following more substantial increases experienced during previous weeks, corresponds with the numbers of ECPs reporting opening in the Jobson survey—6 percent for a week or less (as of the June 5-9 survey period), 18 percent for one to two weeks, 34 percent for three to four weeks, and 42 percent for a month.

An estimated 90 percent of eyecare professionals are now reopened for business, according to Jobson Optical Research's latest Coronavirus ECP Study.

Regionally, most product/service categories were up by index points only in the single digits for the week ending June 14, with three categories (lens pairs in the Midwest and frame units in the South and Midwest) remaining flat. As one of the hardest hit regions of the country, the Northeast continues catching up to the rest of the U.S. with the highest rates of growth for gross revenue and exams/refractions at 8 index points, yet it still lags behind all other regions in all categories by about 10 index points.

Across the U.S. consumers' concerns toward the COVID-19 virus remained constant with the prior week ending June 7, as did their intentions to postpone or cancel purchases, which overall were improved over their intentions back in April, trending down in May, per The Vision Council's research.

The Jobson COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker data is compiled by Jobson Research from GPN and ABB Analyze data. Another element of the report illustrates Consumer Sentiments about the COVID-19 response and purchasing intentions, with data supplied by The Vision Council.

Click to view the COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker for the Week Ending June 14.