Omen writes : A rock and a hard place

A rock and a hard place

To say that the GOC finds itself between a rock and a hard place over the failure of the eBay case and the increasing demands for action to be taken against internet suppliers of spectacles, is probably an understatement.

Taking on an organisation the size of eBay was never going to be easy and the complex laws relating to the control of internet companies made it even more difficult.

Nevertheless, one wonders why at least some of the legal traps were not foreseen by the GOC's lawyers. On the other hand there has been some useful publicity about the risks associated with the unqualified and illegal sales of contact lenses.

Equally difficult is how to deal with the growing number of internet sites selling prescription spectacles. The rules governing the unqualified sales of spectacles were made over 20 years ago, well before the arrival of the internet. They establish a clear differentiation between the responsibilities of professional dispensing and unqualified sales.

The former are bound by a requirement to use their professional skills and a duty of care, with the threat of disciplinary action if they fail to do so, while the sales by the unqualified are covered by normal trading laws and caveat emptor.