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Main article: Vision

Smart glasses

Main article: Smart glasses

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Glasses that protect against snow whiteness. They were used in Yakutia.

Contact lenses

Main article: Contact lenses

Chronicle

2024

Global Eyewear Market Growth to $122.1 Billion

In 2024, sales of glasses in the global market amounted to $122.1 billion. Almost a third of this amount fell on the Asia-Pacific region. This is stated in a study by Fortune Business Insights, the results of which were published on May 21, 2025.

Analysts take into account sales of prescription and over-the-counter glasses, as well as frames. The report says that the industry is showing steady positive dynamics, which is explained by the growing prevalence of eye diseases, including myopia, hyperopia, etc. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 2.2 billion people suffered from near or far vision disorders globally in 2023. At least 1 billion of them had problems that could have been prevented or still be corrected. Among such people, the main diseases causing disorders of long-range vision and blindness are cataracts (94 million), refractive abnormality (88.4 million), age-related macular degeneration (8 million), glaucoma (7.7 million) and diabetic retinopathy (3.9 million). Presbyopia (826 million people) was named the most common anomaly that provokes a deterioration in near vision.

The growth of the eyeglass market is facilitated by an increase in the number of elderly people with increased susceptibility to eye diseases. Visual impairment in such citizens can aggravate social isolation, cause difficulty walking, and increase the risk of falls and fractures. Demographic growth also leads to an increase in the number of people with visual impairment.

The authors of the study say that developing countries have significant expansion potential. Estimated prevalence rates of long-range vision disorders in low- and middle-income regions, according to the WHO, are more than four times higher than in high-income regions. At the same time, the prevalence of unadjusted near vision disorders is more than 80% in western, eastern and central sub-Saharan Africa, while in high-income countries of North America, Australasia, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific, this value does not exceed 10%. In developing countries such as India, hospitals, charitable foundations and social welfare organizations often organize low-cost or free vision screening programs, which drives eyewear sales.

Analysts call the use of environmentally friendly materials in the production of glasses one of the market trends: these are recycled plastic, biodegradable products, etc. Among the restraining factors are the high cost of glasses of certain types, as well as the distribution of counterfeit products.

By component type, the market is segmented into frames and lenses. The latter provided the lion's share of revenue in 2024. The prescription glasses sector dominated, as such products provide more accurate vision correction. From a geographical point of view, the Asia-Pacific region leads with a share of 31.2%, or $38.11 billion. Significant players on a global scale are named:

• Safilo Group S.P.A.;
• Carl Zeiss Meditec AG;
• Hoya Corporation;
• EssilorLuxottica;
• Warby Parker;
• Oakley;
• Prada;
• Rodenstock.

Fortune Business Insights analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR in the market under consideration will be 7.4%. As a result, in 2025, sales of glasses will reach $130.23 billion, and by 2032 will rise to $214.58 billion.^[1]

Glasses with spiral lenses are presented, which allow you to see further and clearer

On February 8, 2024, French researchers from the Laboratory of Photonics, Numerical and Nanoscience (LP2N) reported on the development of a new type of lens that creates several focal points, which allows you to see further and clearer. The development was called "Spiral Diopter." Read more here.

2018: TouchFocus is an electronic alternative to bifocal glasses

In October 2018, it became known about the sale of high-tech bifocal glasses developed by Mitsui Chemicals. This gadget called TouchFocus can be used to look at things away and at a short distance, for example, while reading books. Read more here.

2014: Proportion of residents in Europe who wear glasses or lenses

2014 data