How a niche category like contact lenses is making inroads in the eyewear market

The Indian contact lenses market actually started almost 3 decades back. But the real awareness and the growth of this sector has taken a lot of time. Majority of the Indian population still prefer the normal spectacles purely from a safety and convenience aspect. There was a belief in the earlier years that contact lenses would help in stabilising the power, but how far this was true one is not sure. Today, apart from the contact lenses, there is also laser treatment available that many are getting it done. However, it is an expensive procedure to get rid of the lens and spectacles totally.

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The pandemic period saw people spending increasing time on screens – be it because of the switch to Work-From-Home mode or increased content consumption on mobile or laptops. Therefore, it has become more important than ever before to maintain a good and healthy vision as the number of hours spent on screens is very high. Overall, everyone today is very particular about their health parameters, including their eye health.

It is seen that more women than men opt for contact lenses. The Indian contact lenses market is valued at $574.26 million in 2022 and is further anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.73%. While the penetration of contact lenses among eyewear users is estimated to be in the range of 6-8%. The market is dominated by well entrenched players and their popular brands: like Bausch & Lomb (Soflens), Johnson & Johnson (Acuvue), Alcon (Dailies & Air Optics), CooperVision (Biofinity), Zeiss, and Essilor, among others.

With rising patients of optical disorders, the market is only set to grow and more innovative products are being brought in by the lens manufacturers. The rise of disposable income and shift in consumer behaviour and preference has created demand to wear contact lenses with appealing colours and tint to enhance the eye appearance and beauty. The contact lenses market is segmented based on the material and the type of the design. Today, contact lenses are available at any of the leading optical retail outlets or through online channels like the Lenskart, etc.

But one must remember that many doctor experts and opticians also feel that it is not advisable to wear the lenses and sit for long hours in front of the computer screen as it is not healthy for the eyes. One also needs to take care of the lenses by using the right lens solution, which is another additional cost to the overall cost of the lens, which again varies depending on the type of lenses one prefers to wear.

Thus, while the market is expanding, a lot of educational drive is needed to tell the consumers about the advantages of wearing contact lenses and to make it popular. The lenses are not very affordable and one needs to invest a lot in a year. Besides that, adequate care has to take while fixing the lens in youreyes andit should be handled with kid gloves to avoid any eye infection, etc. Bausch & Lomb and Johnson’s Acuvue are leading international brands that have made some inroads. There are also a few local brands who are present in the market. End of the day it is the comfort factor and the reputation of the brand is what everyone is looking in before choosing a brand especially for your delicate eyes which needs to be protected well.

Sharing his views, Sanjay Bhutani, Managing Director - India & SAARC, Bausch & Lomb India, said that the primary challenge has been that many Indian consumers remain skeptical about the use of contact lenses, and also there is a notion that contact lenses are costlier than spectacles. While a significant portion of the market is in metros, we have now seen the non-metros also picking up on demand as the awareness on contact lens usage has increased. A lot of them are ordering online from the non-metro cities.

He further said, “At Bausch + Lomb, we regularly stay engaged and connected with the audience on social media through its Instagram, YouTube and Twitter channels. Through social media, not only do we keep our audience regularly updated but also speak about our product promotions and communicate about the importance of eye care and better vision. As a brand our aim is actually to help people ‘See better. Live better’, we drove empathy and understanding towards the Pride community by launching an award-winning digital campaign, called #LookOfLove which built meaningful conversations and created awareness and sensitivity around the community.”

Bhutani added, “We even go beyond product sales to connect with our audience. For instance, with the #AllEyesDream campaign, we attempted to raise awareness and highlight the importance of eye donation. With contact lenses regulated now, we would see only superior quality lenses being dispensed to the patient which would further contribute in increasing the usage and growing the category.”

The category is divided into two broad heads of Vision Care (or corrective) and Cosmetic. According to, Deepak H, Partner, Strategy3, Ipsos India, the contact lenses market is primarily targeted at the youth, as they enhance appearance by replacing glasses and helps indulge in sporting activities. It is estimated that the next million users are likely to be the digital natives and most companies are gearing up to leverage this opportunity. Soft lens or silicon hydrogel is growing the category as they are soft and comfortable and let oxygen permeate, leading to enhanced eye care.

He further pointed out that some of the roadblocks to the growth of the category would be the high cost of contact lenses (whether disposables or reusables), lack of awareness of usage, increased demand for eye surgeries (for vision correction) and the side effects of wearing contact lenses.

“For the category to grow, there needs to be concerted effort to educate on the usage of contact lenses and from a niche category, it needs to look at affordability to pull more consumers into first trials and adoption,” Deepak H added.