Bausch & Lomb (Thailand), the local unit of the US eyewear manufacturer, expects its revenue to grow at least 20 percent this year, driven by daily disposable contact lenses. The company sees high potential in contact lenses in Thailand and especially in daily disposable lenses because consumers increasingly value convenience and health, said Chachanee Anantwatanapong, commercial director for vision care.

"People are more concerned about their well-being, including their eyesight. And using daily disposable contact lenses will help them save time," she said. About one-third of Thais have eyesight problems and about 10 percent of these prefer contact lenses to glasses, according to the company's research.

Thailand's contact lens market is currently estimated at between 1.7 and 1.8 billion baht. Monthly disposable lenses account for 60 percent of the market and daily disposable lenses 30 percent. But demand for daily disposable lenses is set to grow at least 20 percent this year, compared with a 10 percent increase in the overall contact lens business. Bausch & Lomb expects to expand its daily disposable lens business by 50 percent this year through marketing and prices about 55 percent cheaper than other brands. The company's main rival is Johnson & Johnson's Acuvue brand.

As daily disposable contact lenses are very popular in China, Hong Kong and Singapore, the company is confident of a good response to its products in Thailand, said Ms Chachanee. The company will allocate a budget of about 60 million baht to educating consumers on its contact lens products this year, she said. Currently, Bausch & Lomb contact lens products are available at more than 4,000 eyewear outlets nationwide. About 70 percent of Bausch & Lomb's sales in Thailand come from eye vision care and 15 percent from surgical and 15 percent from the pharmaceutical business. Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2351007/