Contact lens (CL) wearers place a high value on the expertise of optometrists, many of whom say they want more education and greater involvement in patients’ lens journeys, according to new research from the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) and United Opticians Association.

The findings, from CLI’s See Tomorrow initiative, suggest North American practices may not yet be making full use of optometrists’ abilities. The report drew on January 2026 online surveys of 500 US and Canadian CL wearers aged 18–61 and 248 US optometrists, 72% of whom said they held a CL certification. Among wearers, 89% said optometrists are important in helping achieve the best possible vision and 83% said they were extremely or very valuable to their CL-specific experience. Another 84% said interactions with optometrists made them more confident about CL wear and care.

Patients also appeared to expect more than they always receive. Although around 70% of them said expected follow-up after a new prescription, only 34% of optometrists said they provided that outreach. On the professional side, 56% of optometrists said they would like to be more involved in the CL-wearing experience and 67% expressed strong interest in additional training, split almost evenly between online and in-person formats.