NEW YORK—The latest data aggregated across the U.S. from eyecare practices for the week of April 13-April 19 indicate that the optical business may have bottomed out following the steep decline precipitated by stay-at-home orders in most states in reaction to COVID-19. No longer in decline for the previous week, gross revenue on a national level took an upturn for the first time since this crisis began albeit only at a rate of 1 index point. This occurred as most optical practices throughout the U.S. remain shut. Hovering around 90 percent are those ECPs still impacted by stay-at-home orders, according to the latest Coronavirus ECP Survey by Jobson Optical Research, as VMAIL reported this week.

A majority of the 1,110 eyecare professionals surveyed (55.8 percent) are rescheduling appointments for May with a smaller but still substantial number (29.9 percent) starting to reschedule for June. Nearly all respondents (91.7 percent) in this latest wave of the Coronavirus ECP Survey plan to reopen, while only 2.1 percent state that they will likely need to close for good; 6.2 percent are still unsure.

The South and West were clearly regions with the largest upturn, although at rates of only 3 index points or less. Some were flat or up by a single index point. Those increasing more than just one index point were frame units and lens pairs in the South and West (up 3 index points) and gross revenue and exams/refractions in the South and West (up 2 index points). Remaining at a higher index level than all other categories, contact lens units stayed primarily flat at an index level of 38 in most regions, with slight declines in the Northeast and South.

Click to view the COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker for April 21, 2020.

Jobson Optical Research is tracking optical business metrics for the U.S. to determine the trajectory of the downturn, monitor its duration and uncover which regions first begin heading in a positive direction.

The Practice Performance Tracker shows national data and illustrates Regional Breakouts of ECP practice metrics across several measures of business, including ECP gross revenues, exams and refractions, frame units, spectacle lens pairs and contact lens pairs sold by ECPs. This 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.

Find editions of the Jobson COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker and all the latest COVID-19 industry news and professional resources you need in VM's Coronavirus Briefing.