With Halloween right around the corner, people young and old are rushing out to costume stores to get their hands on the latest costumes, accessories and makeup. These days, costumes go far beyond wielding a plastic meat cleaver covered in fake blood; people want the “complete look” which even includes decorating your eyes.
Over the past few years, soft contact lenses have become more widely accepted which is a big reason why the Global Soft Contact Lenses Market is expected to post a CAGR of 5.94 percent for the 2012-2016 period. With more people willing to stick their fingers in their eyes, soft contact lenses are a new trend in the costume world that is becoming more popular year after year.
Non-prescribed soft contact lenses are gaining market share year-on-year. These lens are available both in disposable as well as non-disposable form and appeal to all ages. As these soft contact lenses grew in popularity, it was only a matter of time before counterfeit products began popping up. Counterfeit products pose a big challenge to the market as they affect the profitability of the market and the brand image of the original vendors.
In July 2011, the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore confiscated over 100 boxes of counterfeit colored contact lenses that were labeled as FreshLook ColorBlends Contact Lens. These counterfeit contact lenses were of poor quality and unsafe for use because they were contaminated with harmful bacteria which could have led to complete loss of vision.
In fact, the problems with colored contacts prompted the FDA to speak out against buying non-prescription soft contact lenses, like the ones found in your typical costume store can cause serious damage to your eye.
So what’s the different between prescribed and non-prescribed soft contact lenses?
Non-prescription lenses don’t require a visit to the optometrist, which attributes their popularity. The cheaper the better right? Wrong. Skipping the eye doctor means that non-prescription contact lenses aren’t designed specifically for your eye. This could lead to severe problems like cuts, allergic reactions, decreased vision, infection and even blindness.
Thankfully, there are many contact lens companies in the market that offer different colors and designs of soft colored contact lenses. To capitalize on the continued demand, vendors are developing various types of colored soft contact lenses with additional features such as a teardrop effect and lens that can project three shades of color. What’s more is that they offer both prescription and non-prescription versions, to appeal to a larger customer base.
In addition, vendors in the Global Soft Contact Lens Market are investing heavily in research projects to improve contact lens efficiency. Vendors are developing innovative ophthalmic soft contact lenses with improved optical designs, materials, and better contact lens coatings. A company named Innovega is developing a new type of contact lens called the iOptik lens which will help in viewing the world naturally.
Other breakthroughs in the market are the development of one-day disposable soft lenses and custom-made silicon hydrogel lenses. Companies such as Alcon have several products in phase III of the development stage. These products include AcrySof IQ ToricIOL and AcrySof IQ ReSTOR multifocal toric lenses. These new and advanced contact lenses are expected to help the market post strong growth during the forecast period.
For more information, view our 2012-2016 Global Soft Contact Lens Market report.
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