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ALEXANDRIA, Va.—In another indication of the improving outlook for eyecare, The Vision Council released a few key data points this week that show both consumer and ECP sentiment is rebounding from the low points of late March and most of April. The data show the “signs of the beginning of a sustained turnaround,” according to The Vision Council, which said these signs are “visible in levels of consumer concern [about the coronavirus] and eyewear purchase behavior.”

In addition, The Vision Council noted that its research team will provide an updated view on consumer, member and eyecare professional sentiment and behavior on Thursday, May 21, as part of the Member Insights Webinar Series. More details on the webinar will be announced later this week.

Among the key snapshot data points announced this week is a rise in consumer sentiment. The Vision Council said its research shows that the overall level of concern about COVID-19 among consumers reached a peak in early April and has been slowly declining each of the last four weeks. The percentage of consumers either “highly or extremely” concerned about COVID-19 dropped from a high of 71 percent in April to 57 percent for the week of May 4.

In addition, the percentage of consumers reporting that they will postpone or cancel eyewear purchases has been declining at a slightly more accelerated rate over the last three weeks, and dropped to 25 percent of respondents for the week of May 4. (This number hit a high of 38 percent of respondents in mid-April.)

Also, The Vision Council survey found in its survey for the week of May 4 the highest percentage of ECPs who reported being open to the public since the beginning of March. As state and local governments begin lifting restrictions on businesses, more ECPs are reporting being open to the public, The Vision Council said. This corresponds with a noted increase in business performance, with 19 percent of ECPs reporting unchanged or increased capture rate, compared with 14 percent the previous week.