Lord Newby is working hard to try to push through an amendment to the Opticians Act to the effect that adjustable focus eyewear could be sold over the counter. Parliamentary time and due process mean that change is not imminent, and indeed if the Opticians Act is to be amended it begs the question of whether the government would decide to have a ‘drains up’ review of the Act. However, the pressures that can be exerted by commercial interests should never be underestimated.
When the first debate on adjustable focus eyewear was introduced into the Lords, AIO was concerned to discover that one manufacturer of these products was already selling them by mail order in the UK. This was a clear breach of UK Law. In keeping with past representations to the GOC about illegal practices in the sale of eyewear in the UK (particularly the sale of contact lenses by fancy dress shops and by online companies), AIO reported this matter to the regulator.
While we are gratified to see that the GOC has tackled a fancy dress online vendor of zero powered contact lenses (and the supplier of those lenses), we are disappointed that the email order distribution in UK of the adjustable eyewear product in question continues unabated. We will not let this rest.
While AIO welcomes open debate on the future of optics and has clear policies it will share with other stakeholders over coming months, the association believes it is dangerous to allow, in any circumstance, the anticipation of any change of law which may or may not occur. Public awareness about the importance of proper eye health care is poor enough already and it is not in the interests of consumers that they are able to purchase optical products without the protection of the law, properly enforced by the statutory regulator.
