View from the AIO: Proper law enforcement is required

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.