In focus: Multiple’s blue light failings outlined before GOC

Boots Opticians’ advert for its Boots Protect Plus Blue (BPPB) lenses has once again landed the multiple in regulatory hot water over misleading claims about the products.

The latest sanction was handed down by the General Optical Council during a two-day fitness to practise case last week. The hearing resulted in a fine of £40,000 and determinations of misconduct and impaired fitness to practise.

The advert, placed in The Times magazine on January 24, 2015, claimed that many modern gadgets, such as LED TVs and smartphones, as well as energy-saving light bulbs, emitted a certain type of blue light that could cause a person’s retinal cells to deteriorate over time. The multiple went on to say its BPPB lenses filtered harmful blue light and eased eye strain and fatigue.