Complaints needed for GOC prosecution

Unregistered sellers of plano lenses will continue to escape prosecution unless optometrists encourage members of the public to file formal complaints with supporting evidence, the GOC has claimed.

Speaking at the recent BCLA meeting to discuss the revised guidance from ABDO and the College of Optometrists on rules surrounding the sale and supply of contact lenses, GOC registrar, Peter Coe, said that the Council had received no complaints about internet suppliers from members of the public since 2005 (when the Section 60 changes to the Opticians Act were introduced).

'We now have a superb opportunity to take action against anyone working outside the [legal] framework, whether a registrant or non-registrant, but finding proof is exceptionally difficult.