Omen writes

The traditional greeting of a Happy New Year is sincere, but in 2009 the reality is that, for many, life may be far from happy as the credit crunch and recession continue to bite deeper and deeper.

It is difficult to know what effect it will have on the world of eye care but anecdotal reports indicate that business is variable countrywide. With people spending more time at home and the increasing use of low energy lighting with its lower light output, presbyopes may be unable to delay an eye exam any longer, or will they go for the cheaper option of ready-mades? Further bad news for the frame market is the falling value of the pound; there are already signs of price increases in the major designer ranges and the increased labour and material costs in China combined with the dramatic fall in the pound against the dollar will squeeze margins further.