Market grows 7 per cent

The UK contact lens market grew 7 per cent in 2010 to £219.5m compared to 2009, according to the latest statistics from the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM).

This represented the sale of 557 million contact lenses, with daily disposables representing 58 per cent of market value, silicone hydrogels 27 per cent, soft frequent replacement lenses 9 per cent, rigid lenses 5 per cent, and soft traditional lenses 2 per cent.

The number of people using silicone hydrogel lenses increased 15 per cent in the past year, with these lenses now worn by 1.1 million people. In total, there are 3.6 million contact lens wearers in the UK - 7.2 per cent of the adult population.