Eyewear & Coronavirus impacts

March 2020: As the coronavirus continues to spread, we look at its impact on the eyewear industry.

A world in crisis

The world has been on edge since news of the virus’ outbreak began in late January in Wuhan City in the Hubei Province of China. This virus has quickly spread globally, with cases popping up in roughly 100 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Japan, Egypt, and Iran, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has now reached more than 6000 deaths in number globally as of March 18th.

COVID-19 is increasingly having a negative impact on the eyewear industry, especially during the fall 2020 fashion month season. Reports of the virus hitting Italy coincided with the end of Milan Fashion Week, as well as the postponement of the trade show MIDO 2020.

Last announcement

Vision Expo East (VEE) 2020 has also been canceled. Growing concerns over the coronavirus has lead to the pivotal eyewear trade show being consolidated into Vision Expo West, which is to be held in Las Vegas this September.

Reactions to this health crisis

Eyewear companies are already moving their strategies to an online-focused presence while mitigating some of the risk of buying glasses via the internet with “virtual try-on” tools and apps that allow you to see how you’d look in frames without actually putting them on.

The next big step will be online eye exams. Experts are working on a digital eye exam that could eliminate the need to see an optometrist. It is also a matter of getting the proper government approval. Telemedicine as well as online diagnostic tests to diagnose and treat problems will surely be the next trends in 2020. It will surely move in a very fast manner since the virus’s impacts are very dynamic.

Written by H.B.