March 2026

GROSS REVENUE TREND

The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last month (March 2026) when compared with the previous month at a rate of 17 index points. That places gross revenue at a level 2 index points above where it was at this point in time (March) when compared with last year (2025), 16 point below the same period in 2024, 11 points above 2023, 18 points above 2022, 25 points above 2021, 81 points above 2020 (during the onset of the COVID 19 Pandemic), and 55 points above 2019.

BUSINESS METRICS

Following the increase in gross revenue, all other optical sales categories also increased last month when compared with the previous month, at rates of 14 index points (exams/refractions), 14 index points (frame units), 13 index points (lens pairs), and 10 index points (contact lenses). When comparing last month’s optical sales with the same period last year, all of the other categories decreased at rates of -2 index points (exams/refractions), -5 index points (frame units), -6 index points (lens pairs), and -4 index points (contact lenses).

SNAPSHOT

With all optical sales categories increasing last month, all categories reached a level above an average month in 2019 (the index baseline assigned a value of 100 for this Optical Business Tracker). These ranged from a high of 157 index points for gross revenue to a low of 109 index points for contact lenses. The other categories reached 124 index points for exams/refractions, 122 index points for frame units, and 128 index points for lens pairs.

We selected 1,500 optical locations that have been operating and reporting their sales to our partners, GPN and ABB Analyze, since 2019. We based the index on an average month in 2019 and assigned an arbitrary benchmark baseline value of 100. All monthly index data points are calculated as a percentage increase or decrease from the baseline index value. This index is intended to show directional and magnitudinal change that the market is experiencing.

Jobson Research shall not be held liable for any use or misuse of the data described and/or contained herein. Please note that practices that use practice analytic systems tend to skew a bit larger and have higher revenue than practices that do not.

Source: GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze contributed anonymous sales data used to determine gross revenue, exams/refractions, frame units, lens pairs, and contact lens boxes. Data was collected from approximately 1,500 independent eye care practices.

For more information from Jobson Research contact deydlin@jobson.com,

you may also reach out to GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze directly.