View from ABDO: We're backing the 'Love your lenses' campaign

As ABDO’s representative on the GOC’s Illegal Supply Steering Group, I hope the new Love Your Lenses campaign is as successful as it deserves to be and all practices and companies support Love Your Lenses Week, 25-31 March.

As the GOC has found, curbing illegal supply can be difficult. Prosecuting suppliers is impossible if they are in a different country, and with poorly worded legislation, it is clear that even UK suppliers whose sales practices are frowned upon by the professions are generally acting within the letter of the law, even if the spirit of the law is ignored.

While the GOC works on a Voluntary Code for retailers, it has introduced this new campaign (with the support of the optical sector, MHRA and patient groups) to educate patients to have regular check-ups and avoid lenses coming into contact with tap water. Keeping in touch with their optician is sound advice to contact lens wearers, but do opticians keep in touch with their customers enough? The tendency to think modern lenses work first time may have merit, but is a two-year recall appropriate for an inexperienced wearer?