Inflation in Eye Care: 5 Trends Helping Practices Win

Inflation has impacted every corner of healthcare in 2025, and eye care is no exception. From spiking costs to shifting patient behavior, optometry and ophthalmology practices are navigating shrinking margins, operational complexity, and more financial pressures than ever.  

The Vision Council’s Provider inSights Q1 and Q2 2025 Report found that 69% of eye care providers say inflation has influenced their business, with the most significant impacts driven by patient price sensitivity (72%), rising eyewear wholesale costs (71%), and practice supply cost increases (70%).  

At the same time, economic uncertainty and tariffs are worsening the situation for practices. 62% of providers say tariffs have already impacted their practice, and 66% expect continued impact, particularly on wholesale eyewear pricing, where 91% report cost increases. 

But despite these economic pressures, with the right strategies and partnerships, your practice can stay ahead of inflation and drive sustainable growth in 2026. In this blog, we’ll explore five eye care trends that forward-thinking practices are adopting to respond to inflation, protect profitability, and scale smarter.  

Trend #1: Smarter Optical to Maximize Margins 

Optical is a significant financial component of many practices. With wholesale eyewear costs climbing (impacting 71% of providers), building solid pricing, inventory, and sales strategies has become crucial.  

Here’s what the strongest practices are doing: 

• Adopting dynamic pricing strategies that keep frame and lens prices aligned with market costs. 

• Evaluating performance regularly to reduce dead stock and keep best-sellers in stock. 

• Offering value bundles and promotions to increase average transaction value.  

• Training optical teams on sales tactics, focusing on the long-term benefits of quality frames over price-first conversations. 

• Setting sales goals for optical staff with regular performance reviews. 

• Adopting smarter inventory management technology that automates tasks and reduces errors, so staff can spend more time selling than managing inventory. 

With fewer exam patients purchasing eyewear due to cost sensitivity, practices must stay laser-focused on profitability. This means better merchandising and pricing that protects margins.  

Trend #2: Vendor Negotiations  

As inflation continues to squeeze margins, procurement has moved from a passive task to a strategic one. Practices can no longer afford to auto-renew vendor agreements or accept price increases without doing their homework. Many are also joining optometric buying groups and alliances to leverage their purchasing power. These groups negotiate large volumes with vendors, helping practices secure more competitive rates.  

Here are tips for smarter procurement: 

• Evaluate vendors quarterly instead of annually. 

• Consolidate suppliers to negotiate around volume. 

• Negotiate delivery costs, restock fees, and minimum order requirements, not just product cost. 

• Consider joining a buying group or alliance to secure better pricing. 

• Hold suppliers accountable for low-quality items to eliminate hidden costs like remakes, replacements, and unhappy patients. 

• Stay aware of the eyewear vendor market and how your current suppliers compare to the competition. 

Inflation has forced practices to evolve from “Who can we buy from?” to “Who helps us maximize profitability over time?”  

Trend #3: Outsourcing RCM to Maximize Reimbursements 

While margin is one side of profitability, revenue capture is the other. Reimbursements are getting lower each year, eye care billing is getting more complex, and most practices simply don’t have the bandwidth to keep up. According to the 2024 Medicare Improper Payment Fact Sheet, providers lost $31.7 billion to improper payments, with an overall error rate of 7.66%. With 72% of eye care practices facing hiring challenges, adding or upskilling internal staff to combat these errors often creates more costs than benefits.   

That’s why forward-thinking practices are turning to experts to help reduce leakage and capture as much revenue as possible. Here’s what Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) partners can deliver that in-house teams struggle to match: 

• Lower denial rates 

• Faster claim submission and close monitoring 

• Dedicated billing experts instead of cross-trained front desk staff 

• Reduced claim errors from coding or eligibility verification gaps 

• Scaled billing without increasing overhead 

Optometry and ophthalmology teams should be able to focus on patient care instead of chasing claims. Sightview offers tailored RCM services to help your practice boost revenue and take billing stress off your team. Our experts ensure quick reimbursements and a lower denial rate to accelerate cash flow. Contact us for a free consultation to see how our RCM services can help your practice increase revenue. 

Trend #4: AI and Automation to Boost Efficiency  

With 73% of practices expecting staffing levels to remain unchanged despite increasing administrative workloads, doing more with less has become the real competitive advantage. 

What are the most efficient practices doing? Leveraging AI and automation. Tools that help staff win back time for patients translate directly into revenue. Less admin work = more patients seen per day = higher revenue without higher payroll. 

In fact, 96% of healthcare leaders agree that AI and automation are critical for addressing staff shortages and improving efficiency, and 40% of healthcare providers reported improved efficiency due to AI solutions. Here are some ways they’re winning time back: 

• Automated appointment reminders and two-way patient texting reduce no-shows.  

• Automated digital intake forms eliminate front-desk bottlenecks. 

• AI-assisted clinical documentation and diagnosis tools cut charting time and help providers make faster, smarter clinical decisions. 

• Automated eligibility verification and claims scrubbing reduce time spent managing denials. 

• Automated payment reminders and pay-by-link accelerate revenue and eliminate staff chasing payments. 

• Unified technology eliminates manual copy-paste between platforms. 

Trend #5: Expanding Services and Consumables 

Eye care practices are quickly learning that in today’s inflationary environment, relying solely on exams and eyewear transactions creates risk. Practices that future-proof their revenue are expanding services and consumables not only to hack growth but also to meet the varied needs of patients who are increasingly looking for convenience and comprehensive care. 

Some of these services and consumables include: 

• Advanced diagnostics and monitoring 

• Myopia management 

• Vision therapy programs 

• Dry eye treatment 

• Eye hydration drops 

• Eyelid cleaning solutions 

• Supplements 

What This Means for Eye Care Practices 

Inflation has completely transformed the economics of eye care. But it has also led to unique strategies that not only help practices protect their bottom lines but also improve patient care and reduce staff burnout. The future is bright for those embracing operational changes and more innovative, connected technology.   

The practices that will continue to thrive aren’t the ones simply reacting to inflation. They’re the ones treating it as a catalyst for modernization. Whether through automation, smarter procurement, diversified revenue streams, or strategic partnerships, these practices are becoming leaner, stronger, and more profitable.  

Protect Your Profit and Scale Smarter 

Resilience in eye care comes from doing more with less and working smarter, not harder. Forward-thinking practices are optimizing margins, capturing missed revenue, and automating repetitive work, all while enhancing patient care. 

The result? A stronger, more profitable practice with lower overhead and greater protection against economic uncertainty. 

If you want to explore how unified technology can help your practice streamline workflows and support sustainable growth, Sightview helps practices do exactly that—without adding headcount. Request a demo today to see our all-in-one platform built exclusively for eye care.