Newly released figures from the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM) show that the UK contact lens market was worth nearly £199m in 2009.
The value of the contact lens market has increased by 2 per cent since 2008 and was worth £198.7m, according to the statistics for 2009.
Over 537 million contact lenses were sold during the year with daily disposables constituting 57 per cent of the total soft frequent replacement lenses, 12 per cent silicone hydrogels, 23 per cent soft traditional lenses, 2 per cent and rigid lenses, 6 per cent.
The number of people wearing daily disposable lenses has also increased by 6 per cent in the last 12 months to 1.4 million people and those wearing rigid lenses has risen by 5 per cent to £339,543.
According to the report there are 3.3 million contact lens wearers in the UK, up from 1.6 million in 1992, which represents 6.8 per cent of the adult population.
'These results are slightly less optimistic than what we were hoping but just ahead of the budget it is to be expected that people are being cautious about where they spend their money,' explained ACLM secretary general Simon Rodwell.
'Nonetheless from the practitioners' point of view contact lenses remain the best way to build patient relationships due to the regularity of appointments giving them the opportunity to display their skills,' he added.
Rodwell also revealed that 'the 6 per cent rise in people wearing daily disposables also reflects the continued trend for convenience but practitioners also shouldn't overlook the value of RGPs which have remained a constant over the years'.