FTC Warns Prescribers and Sellers about Violation of Contact Lens Rule

"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has warned 45 contact lens prescribers and 10 contact lens sellers that they may be violating the agency’s Contact Lens Rule, which helps consumers comparison shop for contact lenses and ensures sales occur only to those with valid prescriptions," writes Legal Newsline. "The rule mandates that prescribers that fit patients for contact lenses give the patients the prescription at the end of the fitting. These prescribers cannot charge additional fees for handing over the prescription, nor can they force a patient to buy contacts directly from them." Read more.

Three Cosmetic CL Providers Comply with FTC

Three Internet marketers of cosmetic, "circle" contact lenses have agreed to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges by entering into settlements that will put a stop to their alleged illegal practice of selling lenses to consumers without prescriptions. Circle lenses are a type of decorative contact lens that covers not just the iris of the eye, as standard lenses do, but the white area as well. Wearing these lenses makes the eyes appear larger.

The settlements are part of the FTC's ongoing efforts to help protect consumers from the health risks posed by improperly used contact lenses, through enforcement of the FTC's Contact Lens Rule. The Rule requires sellers to verify that a consumer has a valid prescription for all contact lenses, including cosmetic lenses that do not correct vision. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the improper use of contact lenses, whether they are corrective or not, can cause corneal ulcers, corneal abrasions, vision impairment, and blindness.

The three settlements with Royal Tronics, Inc. and Jamil Hindi; Gene Kim; and Thy Xuan Ho bring the FTC's total number of contact lens enforcement actions to 10 since the agency issued the Contact Lens Rule in 2004.