Pharmacies appear to be unaware that plano cosmetic contact lenses must be sold under supervision, Optician's latest mystery shopper exercise has revealed.
The exercise took place weeks after the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) advised pharmacists they must not sell plano lenses without the supervision of a registered optometrist, contact lens optician or doctor.
In its latest Law and Ethics Bulletin, the RPSGB informed members that if they wish to sell plano lenses they must comply with the Opticians Act. It referred them to a statement made by the GOC in October 2006 clarifying the sale and supply of optical appliances.
Optician randomly selected 12 chemists selling cosmetic plano lenses. Each outlet was asked if the sale would be supervised in any way and whether the user needed to follow any special user instructions. All 12 outlets confirmed that there would be no supervision or any other special instructions given to the buyer. Only two of the outlets pointed out the requirement for the buyer to fill in a suitability questionnaire prior to purchase but then added this was just a formality.
One assistant at a London chemist told the mystery shopper: 'They are cosmetic items and are not like proper lenses so anyone can wear them.' Another added: 'They are not harmful if you only wear them for special occasions.'
The publication of the findings coincides with the announcement that the GOC has secured the support of the RPSGB and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) in its bid to raise awareness of supervision requirements.
As reported in last week's Optician, both bodies have said they would work with the Council to raise awareness of the issue with their members.
When presented with the Optician findings, Colette McCreedy, chief pharmacist at the NPA, said it was the lack of awareness among pharmacists about the GOC guidelines that had led to the continuing sale of plano lenses without supervision.