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April produced positive results, with increases in many of our key performance measures. Total turnover, turnover per eye examination, number of eye examinations, sample average number of spectacles dispensed, new contact lens fits and solution sales have all improved on last month although some of these are lower than last year's figures for April. The financial key performance indicators have shown continued improvement since January, with April producing the highest Index figures we have seen so far this year.
This month our graphs are concentrating on dispensing, volumes and lens trends over one or three calendar years from April to April and, where shown, the dashed linear trend-lines show the current trend, taking into account the range of data included in the chart, rather than any historic values.
Total practice turnover is up by 2 per cent to 174 Index points from last month which is 5 per cent higher than last April. This has contributed to an improvement in turnover per eye examination of £1.80 on last month to £150, £7.40 higher than last April.
The number of sight tests increased by 1.5 per cent to 113 Index points, which is 1 per cent lower than April 2010. Seventy-seven per cent of eye examinations carried out during April were NHS tests. Dispensing rate has remained at 63 per cent, the same as last month, 7 per cent higher than the dispensing rate recorded in April 2010.
Total spectacles dispensed (Figure 1), which is a calculation of the sample average figure, fell over the second half of 2010, whereas the previous two years were flat over the same period. However, from January 2011 the improved performance has counter-balanced the fall at the end of 2010 and the trend-line now shows a positive improvement over the last 12 months, though annual growth remains negative. April's figures show a slight increase of 1.5 per cent from last month to 92 Index points, 5 per cent higher than both previous years charted.
The proportions of spectacles dispensed by lens type (Figure 2) shows that in April 71 per cent of spectacles dispensed were single-vision lenses, 19 per cent progressive lenses and bi/trifocals accounted for 10 per cent. This is exactly the same ratio of lens types reported in April 2010. During October the mix was 73 per cent single-vision, 17 per cent progressive lenses, with bi/trifocals staying at 10 per cent.
The volume of dispensing by lens types (Figure 3) - shows that improvements so far this calendar year have been reflected in the linear trend lines which all now show a slight upward trend over the period. Single-vision lenses reduced by 1 per cent to 66 Index points from March, but increased by 8 per cent from last April's records. Bi/trifocal lenses were down by 3 per cent from March to 62 Index points, fractionally lower than last April and progressive lenses showed an increase of 6 per cent over the month to 207 Index points, 5 per cent higher than last April.
Average re-glazes have stayed at 13 per cent this month, 1 per cent more than last year. From April 2009 to April 2010 the sample average percentage of re-glazes climbed steadily from 9 per cent to 13 per cent, but over the course of the last 12 months this figure stayed between 12 and 13 per cent. The results from our sample this month ranged from 0 per cent to 42 per cent.
Lens treatments are calculated as an average percentage of the total spectacles sold. Photochromic lenses and antireflective coatings (Figure 4) show similar patterns, rising during April and May and reducing in July, followed by periods of small movements from the summer months until the following spring. Photochromics peaked in May and June and show a variance over the period of between 12 and 16 per cent. Photochromic lenses improved by 1 per cent from March, to an average of 15 per cent of spectacles supplied, our panel members recording practice sales of between 1 per cent and 53 per cent and half the sample recording an average of 11 per cent.
The variance of antireflective coatings over the last 12 months is between 42 per cent and a peak of 48 per cent in May 2010 and produces an overall flat trend-line. Antireflective coatings were applied to an average of 45 per cent of spectacles during the month, 2 per cent higher than last month, 1 per cent more than last April, with practices reporting between 5 and 100 per cent application, half of the sample reporting an average of 35 per cent.
New contact lens fits (Figure 5) shows the Index values over three calendar years and the series lines show similar patterns over the charted periods, apart from the dip in the final quarter of 2010, the current year's values are lower than the previous two years. New fits were up in April by 10 per cent to 133 Index points from March, to the same Index value as April 2010.
Contact lens solution sales (Figure 6) demonstrates that most of 2010-2011 has seen higher values in this benchmark than both of the previous two years. Again, this key performance indicator shows a similar monthly pattern. Solution sales for April are 4 per cent higher than March 2011, now 88 Index points, a 9 per cent increase on last April's figure.
All figures are adjusted to a 25-working day month. In April 2011 there were 23 working days.
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