Letters : November 11

Hoping for an ethical supply

 An increasing number of my patients request frames which are not made in China, because of the terrible human rights abuses there - routine use of torture, mass executions, and forced abortion are all well documented by Amnesty International.

But since frames are not usually marked with the country of manufacture, it is very difficult to advise them accordingly.

Can anyone recommend a source of good quality frames, preferably made in Britain, or if not, then in a country which complies with international norms on human rights?

Also, can any of your readers shed any light on why frames do not have to be marked with country of manufacture? There would appear to be an opportunity here for an ethical frame supplier. An absolute rock bottom price need not be an issue, as evidenced by the success of fair trade brands in the supermarkets; as one of my patients pointed out to me the other day, slave labour was used in Nazi Germany to produce very cheap goods, but that did not make buying them morally acceptable.

We are living in interesting times, when the distortions in the market created by an inadequate examination fee may be coming to an end, especially north of the border. If optometrists can earn a reasonable living from professional fees, other critria than the absolute cheapest wholesale price of frames can be evaluated.

Chris Gould
Meliden, Prestatyn