CareCredit Vision Care Industry Study: The Opportunity That’s Waiting

The CareCredit Vision Care Industry Study shows a clear advantage for optometry and ophthalmology practices: patients trust you most for vision guidance — more than family doctors, friends and family or online sources.¹ But it also reveals a business-critical challenge: Cost is shaping decisions earlier than many practices realize, often before patients ever arrive.

Conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Synchrony in July 2025, the study surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers ages 18-75 who make their own vision and eye-care purchase decisions, as well as parents answering about their child(ren)’s eye care. It explored these questions:

• How much is cost shaping care decisions?
• What’s stopping patients from moving forward?
• What changes when financing is part of the conversation?

What follows are the study’s main insights and the opportunity they reveal for optometry and ophthalmology practices, so you can help turn trust into action and empower patients to move forward with care recommendations. (Access the full report via the Download link below.)

Cost Concerns Are Keeping Patients Away (Even When They Have Insurance)

Patients may trust providers, but cost uncertainty is influencing care decisions early — sometimes preventing the visit entirely.¹

• 64% of consumers say cost strongly or somewhat impacts how often they seek vision care (rising to 78% for Gen Z)
• Even though 65% have vision insurance, 54% still pay out of pocket for vision care.
• Among those who skip annual eye exams, 38% say insurance concerns are the top reason.
• 26% say they see a primary care physician over a vision care provider because insurance covers more

In other words, insurance doesn’t automatically remove affordability concerns, and many practices may be losing visits and treatment acceptance before they have a chance to educate, recommend and guide.

Lost In the Financing Gap: Patients Are Ready To Say Yes

The study points to a significant disconnect between what patients would do if financing were available and what they actually do today.¹

• 8 out of 10 consumers say they’d seriously consider financing once out-of-pocket costs hit a certain point (on average, $761)
• 43% of consumers are comfortable using a healthcare credit card to finance vision care expenses
• Yet only 7% have actually used a healthcare credit card for vision expenses, nearly a 6x gap between openness and action.

The issue isn’t willingness, it’s often friction and visibility. Patients often don’t know what’s available, when it’s available or how to use it to move forward.

Optometry Opportunity: You Are the Foundation

The study reinforces what many practices see every day: Optometry is where vision care begins and where it can expand:¹

• 94% of consumers who’ve ever seen an eye doctor have seen an optometrist
• 50% say their most recent visit was to an optometrist (compared with 22% for ophthalmologists and 14% for opticians)
• Patients are coming frequently: 51% visited an optometrist in the past year; among Gen Z, 20% visited in the past three months (vs. 13% overall).

Patients also may want more than the basics:¹

• 41% use non-corrective devices in addition to glasses or contacts
  • Of those, 21% use protective eyewear (e.g., sports glasses, safety glasses) and 12% use smart glasses
• 28% own designer eyewear
  • Younger patients are even more likely to own designer eyewear (36% Millennials, 33% Gen Z).

And patients aren’t all coming in for the same reason. Motivations vary:¹

• 52% come for routine care (e.g., updating prescriptions, using benefits)
• 56% come for preventive measures (e.g., aging, maintenance, family history)
• 58% come for symptom management (e.g., changes in vision, headaches, floaters)

The opportunity is clear: patients are in your office, they trust you, and many want premium options — but cost can stop the decision. Optometry teams are well positioned to normalize cost conversations so patients can choose based on what’s best, not just what feels immediately payable.

Ophthalmology Opportunity: High-Value Decisions Happen Here

Patients often see ophthalmologists at pivotal moments like referrals, diagnoses and decisions about specialty care. In those moments, patients aren’t just looking for clinical direction. They’re looking for clarity on options, outcomes and how to manage cost.

The study found:¹

• 31% of patients seeking specialty vision care were triggered by an optometrist referral
• Patients rely on their eye doctor for information about the elective procedure LASIK (32%). For multi-focal lenses that number rises to 52%.

Focus on LASIK: Interest is there, conversion isn’t

According to the study:¹

• 54% of consumers are aware of LASIK
• Of those aware, 32% are interested, but only 8% of those aware have actually had it.
• 50% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials are interested in LASIK, yet only 5% of actual LASIK patients are Gen Z, and 11% are Baby Boomers

What’s stopping interested patients?¹

• 59% cite cost as the top concern
• 34% fear surgery going wrong and 34% worry about negative results
• 33% believe they need to “qualify” for LASIK (and 58% of Gen Z believe this)

The payment picture reveals another gap:¹

• 64% of LASIK patients pay out of pocket
• 26% use insurance
• Only 9% use a healthcare credit card.

Focus on premium lenses: Patients won’t ask for what they don’t know

Patients are unlikely to discover premium lens options on their own:

• For multifocal lenses, 52% learned about them from their eye doctor, while only 13% found the information online.¹

Awareness of specific premium options remains low:

• 25% are aware of multifocal lenses¹
• 19% are aware of light-adjustable lenses¹
• 10% are aware of toric lenses¹

Even Baby Boomers (those most likely to need cataract surgery) show limited awareness (multifocal 31%, light-adjustable 14%, toric 9%).¹ The implication for practices is straightforward: The upgrade conversation doesn’t happen unless you start it — and neither does the conversation about how to pay for it.

The Conversation That Brings Patients In

When financing is presented, the study suggests the picture changes. Financing can help shift the conversation from the total cost to how a patient can pay over time, and can signal that the practice has options to support their patients.

Yet many patients report they never hear about financing:¹

• 37% say no financing options have ever been presented by their eye care provider
• Only 22% recall being offered a healthcare credit card
• Among Gen Z and Millennials, one-third say they’ve been offered a healthcare credit card by their eye care provider — higher than the average but still an opportunity to grow.

The potential upside is meaningful:¹

• 43% say they’d be more likely to get vision care if they could pay in installments
• 44% are willing to switch providers to access a more convenient payment option
• 55% are more likely to choose a vision care provider that offers a variety of payment options

Turning Insight Into Action: Start Before Cost Becomes a Barrier

It’s important to start the financing conversation early, even before checkout. Signage, website copy and intake forms can signal early that financing is something your practice is prepared to talk about. Then, when you discuss care options, financing is already on the table before patients decline care due to cost.

It also highlights a mindset shift: Financing isn’t a sales tactic; it’s a payment solution. When patients know how to budget for care, they can move forward — and practices capture revenue that might otherwise walk away.

To explore all the findings and data behind these insights, download the full CareCredit Vision Care Industry Study below. Get the complete report to see how cost, trust and financing can help turn patient interest into action.

Offer Flexible Financing at Your Practice

If you are looking for a way to connect your patients or clients with flexible financing that empowers them to pay for the care they want and need, consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows cardholders to pay for out-of-pocket health and wellness expenses over time while helping enhance the payments process for your practice or business.

When you accept CareCredit, patients or clients can see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score, and those who apply, if approved, can take advantage of special financing on qualifying purchases.* Additionally, you will be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.