GOC removes frames from Amazon UK

Adjustable focus spectacles have been removed from Amazon UK’s website after the General Optical Council (GOC) received 12 complaints of illegal sales online.

The GOC’s legal department received the reports from the Association of Optometrists in relation to the spectacles being sold without supervision, without a prescription and outside of the powers range as outlined in the Opticians Act.

Once the GOC had contacted Amazon to remove the spectacles from sale with immediate effect, the retailer complied and marked the items as obsolete.

UK law requires that spectacles outside of the 0 – +4 power range are sold under supervision with an optician or doctor on the premises to intervene at the point of sale if necessary, either on the high street or online.