Contact lenses are a blessing for bespectacled folk everywhere. And with the prevalence of eye problems increasing worldwide, people are snapping up contacts with gusto.
The global contact lens market is expected to nearly double in value from 2014-2019, growing at a CAGR of 10.43%.
Like any other industry, contact lenses are subject to ebbs and flows in fashion, form and function. Technavio analysts have collected some of the top trends expected to pop up over the next few years in the global contact lens market:
Natural eye highlights
Despite the bad rep cosmetic contacts get, the use of colored contacts is still pretty common. This is encouraging vendors to develop products that not only enhance a user’s vision but also enhance aesthetic appeal.
For instance, Acuvue’s 1-Day Define contact lenses were launched in Asia in 2015. These lenses have an outer darker ring that adds a contrast layer to the edges along with translucent patterns, which add depth to the eyes, providing the eyes with a natural-looking depth and shine. These lenses are available in both powered and non-powered options.
Smart contact lenses
Everything nowadays is multipurpose, and corrective eyewear is no different. Contact lens vendors are investing in technologies to expand the use of contact lenses.
For example, Novartis’ contact lens division, Alcon, has been in talks about licensing Google’s smart lens technology for medical use. Google’s smart lens technology embeds contact lenses with sensors and other related electronics, which will help read an individual’s glucose level from their tear fluids. This information could then be transmitted wirelessly to a mobile device for use by the affected person or medical personnel, in order to help manage diabetes.
Additionally, smart lenses will also integrate an auto-focusing feature to help correct presbyopia in the elderly.
Contact lens cameras
Like something straight out of MI6, Google is developing a contact lens that would place a camera on the contact lens itself. Toeing the line between creepy and cool, the Google lens camera would also use a wearer’s blinking patterns to store pictures or videos.
Antimicrobial contact lens
Scientists are developing antimicrobial lenses to prevent the risk of infection involved with the long-term use of contact lenses. These antimicrobial lenses are lined with the peptide melimine.
Melimine is produced by the body’s own immune system and protects the eye from various microbes, enabling the use of contact lenses for longer durations.
For more market insights, check out Technavio’s full report on the global contact lens market.
