OGI Eyewear
Oct 25, 20212 min
Updated: Apr 14, 2022
MINNEAPOLIS, October 25, 2021— OGI Eyewear, the independent fashion eyewear company, today unveiled a new look and feel for its SCOJO New York brand of ready-to-wear premium reading glasses.
This milestone marks the latest in a series of transformations across the OGI Eyewear portfolio. Creators of the highly popular Gels Originals, SCOJO New York taps into the sizable reading glasses market with its dynamic portfolio of high-performance products.
Reading glasses represent a growing opportunity in eyewear. Vision problems—particularly presbyopia, the inability of the eyes to focus on nearby objects—typically manifest in a person's mid-40s or later. Many adults combat this loss of vision with reading glasses: The Vision Council, a non-profit trade organization serving the optical industry, reported that 33 million people in the U.S. use over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses.
With the U.S. Census Bureau's report projecting that one in five Americans will be retirement age by 2030, it makes sense why market research predicts the reading glasses market will grow globally from $24 billion in 2018 to almost $53 billion in 2026.
The easy availability of OTC reading glasses make them a popular choice for those needing vision correction; so ubiquitous are they that health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will count them as eligible for reimbursement.
The majority of sales were found to come from retail stores, outpacing online sales and sales made at eyecare clinics. However, the mass-produced OTC reading glasses found in drugstores, dollar stores and bookshops can cause issues if poorly made. Lenses with imperfect optical centers or flaws such as bubbles, waves or distortions may result in eyestrain, double vision or other issues if used for too long.
Concerned eyecare professionals need not be alarmed quite yet—eyecare experts agree that ready-reader wearers should consult with a professional before starting long-term use of OTC reading glasses, and that OTC reading glasses cannot and should not be used to address the effects of astigmatism, eyes with differing powers or myopia. Custom prescription glasses are not expected to cede the lion's share of the vision correction market to OTC reading glasses any time soon.
Instead, OTC readers are viewed as part supplemental vision correction tool and part fashion accessory. For eyecare clinicians looking to expand their relationship with their customers and maintain more complete oversight over patients' vision care habits, there is an opportunity to augment product offerings with reading lenses that won't harm customers' eyes.
SCOJO New York, as a leading provider of premium reading eyeglasses, provides glasses built with durable materials and optical-grade lenses triple-checked for quality assurance throughout assembly. Selections are continually evolving and designs are inspired by the latest trends in fashion and contemporary culture. With blue light filtering options, reading sunglasses and virtual try-on technology available through the website, SCOJO New York is committed to supporting both buyers seeking stylish ready-to-wear readers and the optical providers who care for their vision.
To learn more about how to partner with SCOJO New York, contact our Customer Relations Team.
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