Opticians Act amendment debated in House of Lords

Adjustable focus eyewear was discussed in the House of Lords earlier this week after the former Liberal Democrat chief whip Lord Newby asked the government if it would amend the Opticians Act 1989 to allow the sale of the products ‘over the counter,’ as was already the case with reading glasses.

Lord Newby, wearing a pair of Adlens glasses in the chamber, outlined the process which the Oxford-based company had already been through and how it had approached the General Optical Council last year to put forward its case for an amendment. On the subsequent report that the GOC commissioned, Lord Newby said: ‘It turned a very balanced and positive assessment into a litany of objections, some of which were, frankly, ludicrous.’