Luxury* frame spending spiked in the first half of 2025—and then pulled back. By the second half of last year and into early 2026, out-of-pocket spending on premium frames had returned to levels closer to 2023 and 2024. What didn’t change is who is buying luxury frames and which brands they’re choosing. Transaction data from more than 600 optical retail locations reveal a luxury optical frame market that is more generationally distributed and more brand-specific than many practices may assume.
Gen X Is the Luxury Frame Patient
Among patients purchasing frames priced at $350 or above, Gen X is the dominant buyer, accounting for over a third of luxury frame transactions. Millennials follow at 26%, making Gen X and Millennials together responsible for more than 6 in 10 luxury frame purchases. Baby Boomers account for 22%, and Gen Z at 16%. Put another way, Gen X patients are more than twice as likely to purchase a luxury frame as Gen Z patients.
That finding may surprise practices that have long assumed their highest-spending patients are older. Gen X patients, roughly those in their mid 40s through late 50s, combine meaningful disposable income with a strong personal investment in eyewear as a style accessory. They are, by these transaction data, the core luxury frame audience.
The Generational Brand Divide
Gucci leads all luxury frame brands in transaction volume and is the top choice for both Gen Z and Millennial buyers, representing 24% of their luxury purchases, respectively. Gucci is also the top choice for Gen Xers at 21%. Tom Ford is the second most popular brand overall, making up 19% of Gen X purchases, and is the top choice for Baby Boomers, accounting for 18% of their luxury transactions. Prada rounds out the top 3 across the full data set. Silhouette, known for their lightweight, understated styles, ranks a close second among Boomers at 17%, but registers far less among younger patients.
The generational splits sharpen at the brand level. Gen Z makes up 23% of Saint Laurent and Versace buyers, 22% of Dolce & Gabbana, and 25% of Burberry. At the other end, Silhouette draws 47% of its buyers from Baby Boomers, and Tiffany & Co. skews heavily toward Gen X.
The practical implication is straightforward: A frame board stocked with a single generational profile in mind is likely underserving a significant portion of the luxury opportunity.
What Patients Are Actually Spending
Consumer survey data from The Vision Council tracking self-reported out-of-pocket spend from Q1 2025 through Q1 2026 tell a consistent story. The $200 to $299 range peaked at 15% of buyers in Q1 and Q2 2025, then pulled back to 13% in the second half of the year and into Q1 2026, in line with 2023 and 2024 levels. The $150–$199 range held close behind at 11% to 14% throughout.
Notably, 10% to 11% of purchasers reported spending between $300 and $499 out of pocket, with a smaller but consistent share above $500. That top-of-market segment held steady across all 5 quarters—even as the lower brackets showed more volatility. When shoppers pull back, they pull back from the middle. Luxury buyers still buy luxury.
What ECPs Can Take Away
The luxury frame market is broader, more generationally diverse, and more brand specific than it is often assumed to be.
A good place to start might be by making sure your luxury frame offerings reflect the generational range of your patient base. Gen X patients may be the largest luxury buyer segment, but Millennials and Gen Z are meaningfully present, and the brands and styles that resonate with them can differ significantly from those that appeal to older patients. A frame board that skews entirely toward heritage luxury lines may be leaving younger premium buyers without a clear option.
Also, staff can help guide decisions when customers are looking to upgrade to a luxury brand. Opticians are the top cited source of inspiration for getting new frames (ahead of people in real life, friends/family, and social media) from recent consumer interviews about what patients want when they shop for eyewear. A patient spending $200 or more out of pocket on frames has made a deliberate decision. The dispensing conversation that matches that decision should offer product knowledge, brand context, and time. The spending data suggest that patients at this level are consistent. Leave them with a positive experience for their first luxury purchase, and they’re likely to come back.
Sources: The Vision Council - Consumer inSights, ABB Analyze; January 2025-2026