📖 1. China Spectacle Lens Industry: Background

Massive vision-impaired population: According to China Health Development Research Center's "National Visual Health Report", China's myopia population is expected to reach 700 million in 2020, with a myopia rate exceeding 50% among people aged 5 and above, showing a clear trend toward younger ages.

During the pandemic, the myopia rate among primary and secondary school students increased by 11.7% in the first half of 2020 compared to the end of 2019.

Additionally, population aging drives demand for progressive multifocal lenses, creating substantial market potential.

Upgrading needs & replacement frequency: Consumer demand for eyewear has expanded from basic vision correction to blue-light blocking, anti-fatigue, and light sensitivity protection.

The average replacement cycle has shortened to 1.3 years per purchase, and functional products are reaching larger audiences.

Industry drivers: Policy standardization, technological innovation, aging demographics, and rising consumption power boost the industry, though challenges remain including low market concentration, high intermediary markups, and shortage of qualified professionals.

📈 2. China Spectacle Lens Industry: Current Status

Market size: In 2019, China's retail market for eyewear products exceeded RMB 80 billion, with the spectacle lens market reaching RMB 30.5 billion.

Affected by COVID-19, the total market dropped to RMB 73.3 billion in 2020, but it is expected to surpass RMB 90 billion by 2023, while the lens market will reach RMB 36.3 billion.

Competitive landscape (by sales value): High industry concentration — top players: Essilor (22.4%), Carl Zeiss (15.1%), Wanxin Optical (8.2%), Mingyue Lens (6.6%). International brands maintain an advantage, but leading domestic players are rapidly catching up.

Competitive landscape (by sales volume): Domestic manufacturers dominate volume. Wanxin Optical leads with 13.3%, followed by Mingyue (11.7%), Hongchen (10.3%), Youli (7.9%). Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute over 30% of volume. With consumption upgrading, market concentration will further increase, and leading domestic players are expected to capture more than 75% of volume by 2023.

Industry chain characteristics: Jiangsu Danyang is the core cluster (75% of China's lens output). The "manufacturing + direct sales/distribution" model prevails, and professional refraction services at the retail end are irreplaceable.

👥 3. China Lens Users: Insights & Behaviors

User profile: Mainly young and middle-aged (18-40 years old, 94%), more females (60.6%), highly educated (77.7% with bachelor's degree or above), monthly income between RMB 5k-15k (64.6%), and strong brand consciousness.

Purchase & core needs: Over 90% of respondents buy myopia glasses; contact lenses and sunglasses each exceed 50% penetration. Primary scenarios: work, daily life, and study. Core demands: vision improvement (79.1%), eye fatigue relief (74.5%), blue-light/UV protection (68.3%).

Key purchase factors: Wearing comfort (73%), visual clarity, and functional features (blue-light control / myopia management). For children, myopia prevention & control function is crucial for 65.5% of parents.

Price expectation vs. actual spending: Most consumers find a reasonable price range for glasses between RMB 300-800 (58% agreement). Actual expenditure falls within RMB 301-800 (57% total). Lens actual spending is evenly distributed in the RMB 201-800 range.

Satisfaction & complaints: Main satisfiers: wearing comfort (48.5%), good value (32%). Complaints are scattered: frame deformation, poor UV protection, lens thickness, etc., showing still room for process improvement.

⚠️ 4. Industry Pain Points & Strategic Recommendations

Pain point 1: The "profiteering industry" stereotype. 57% of consumers agree that "eyewear is a profiteering industry". Yet net profit margins of retailers like Dr. Glass are around 9.5%, close to A-share average. Raw material cost significantly undervalues total R&D, marketing and service inputs.

Pain point 2: Production side – high capital and inventory pressure. Numerous SMEs compete on price, leading to low profitability and high inventory turnover pressure.

Pain point 3: Retail side – core value not fully demonstrated. There is a huge shortage of licensed optometrists nationwide, and many retail stores lack professional capabilities; consumers still trust hospital refraction more.

🛡️ Industry recommendations:

• ✔ Eliminate "profiteering" myth: Retailers should adopt a standardized "screen-refract-recommend-fit-adjust-maintain" workflow to highlight service value.
• ✔ Production side empowerment: Leading manufacturers provide downstream retailers with professional equipment, staff training, boosting service quality and accelerating inventory turnover.
• ✔ Retail innovation: Leverage short-video and new media marketing, while elevating optometric skills and expanding licensed optometrist teams.

🚀 5. Future Development Trends

Trend 1: Shift toward functional lenses. From basic single-vision lenses to advanced categories: myopia management for children & adolescents, blue-light/UV protection, anti-fatigue, and adult progressive lenses. Driven by increasing myopia prevalence among youth and digital eye strain.

Trend 2: Market consolidation – domestic brands’ rise. SMEs producing low-end lenses will be squeezed out. Leading Chinese manufacturers (Wanxin, Mingyue) leverage cost-performance and growing quality recognition. By 2023, domestic volume share is expected to expand significantly, narrowing the sales gap with international giants.

Trend 3: Retailers transform into vision care centers / eye clinics. Medical refraction, binocular vision function diagnosis, and myopia management become new growth engines. Traditional optical stores upgrade to offer "life-cycle eye health solutions".

Trend 4: Digital connectivity & industrial internet. Retail-end collects big data from refraction and eye exams to enable C2M production, partnering with health-tech players to build eye health ecosystems.

📌 Research Note & Legal Disclaimer

Survey methodology: User research conducted in November 2020 via iResearch iClick online panel, with a valid sample of N=2,093 respondents across China. Topics included purchase drivers, functional awareness, spending habits, and satisfaction.

Data sources: iResearch integrated industry interviews, desk research, public company data (Dr. Glass, etc.), National Health Commission, Ministry of Education, WHO "World Report on Vision", and proprietary modeling.

Legal statement: This content is for market reference only. The report is copyrighted by iResearch. Reproduction or distribution without permission is prohibited. Figures are model estimates; iResearch assumes no liability for business decisions based on this summary. Full original report available from iResearch Consulting.

©2020 iResearch Inc.   www.iresearch.com.cn   Empowering business decisions with data.

🔍 Supplementary Outlook: Resilience & Digital Transformation

According to iResearch models, the lens market contracted by 7.9% in 2020 but recovered faster than sunglasses/contact lenses due to rigid demand.

The comfortable price band remains RMB 300–800, while acceptance of higher-priced functional lenses is gradually increasing.

By 2023, the penetration of myopia-control lenses for children is expected to exceed 25%, and anti-fatigue/photochromic lenses will achieve a CAGR above 15%.

Domestic leaders (Wanxin, Mingyue) are increasing R&D investment in coating and free-form designs, narrowing the gap with international peers.

Educational content on short-video platforms improves consumer understanding of lens technology, gradually dissolving the "profiteering" myth. With capital infusion, regional optical chains are building digital vision centers, leading the industry toward high-quality growth.