Eye Care in the United Kingdom

2020 IMPACT

Increased screen time during pandemic results in increasing sales of eye drops

A marginal upturn in demand is expected for standard eye care in 2020 as mobile phone users reported a significant increase in the amount of time that they spent on their electronic devices during lockdown in the UK. However, this trend was not limited to mobile use as excessive screen use and exposure to other digital screens including computers due to work and study from home measures, in addition to playing video games and watching films, all had a notable impact on eye health.

Early incidence of hay fever in 2020 supports allergy eye care sales

Due to the emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown in early 2020, pollution levels temporarily dropped but longer-term measures are needed in order for the climate to be affected. Meteorologists predict that in the UK the next five years are most likely to be the hottest on record due to global warming.

Reckitt Benckiser set to strengthen convincing leadership in 2020 due to wide ranging portfolio but Boots private label line attracts increasingly price-sensitive consumers

Reckitt Benckiser and its Optrex line of eye care products is set to strengthen its convincing leadership of eye care in 2020 due to its presence in the larger category of standard eye care where it offers a range of products including Optrex Actimist Eye Spray and Optrex Fresh Eyes. It is also presence in allergy eye care with Optrex Allergy and Optrex Hayfever, although the player is set to lose ground to leader Sanofi in this category.

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

Lifestyle changes set to continue to support demand for eye care beyond pandemic

Standard eye care in the UK will remain the dominant category over the forecast period, driven by ongoing changing lifestyles, increasing awareness amongst consumers of products available to them and prolonged exposure to digital devices among the general population beyond lockdowns and work from home measures, resulting in fairly stable if not marginally slower retail volume growth compared to the review period. Increasing pollen levels and pollution on the other hand, are expected to drive the more dynamic performance predicted for allergy eye care as consumers who have to attend the workplace over the early part of the forecast period are more likely to take drive their own cars rather than having to rely on public transport due to concerns over exposure to the virus still in circulation, while increasingly warm spring/summer seasons will ensure ongoing high levels of pollen and therefore hay fever symptoms.

Increased levels of stress also believed to impact eye health

The uncertainty around COVID-19 has resulted in increasing stress levels amongst the population. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK adults experienced overwhelming levels of stress in 2019, with the number increasing in 2020 due to the uncertainty that surrounds the pandemic and its impact on their daily lives.

Ageing population will continue to help drive sales of standard eye care

A key factor which will continue to contribute to the growth of eye care in the UK is the rising geriatric population. The elderly population in the UK is rapidly growing while birth rates are declining.