Lens.com: FTC Begins Enforcement of the Contact Lens Rule
Changes will help more patients save money on their contact lenses
Oct 21, 2020, 17:09 ET
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers have had the right to shop around when buying contact lenses courtesy of the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. Since that time, compliance within the optometry industry has been terrible, with patients continuing to report they are denied access to their contact lens prescription.
The Federal Trade Commission issued revisions to the Contact Lens Rule on June 23, 2020 and strengthened its enforcement to provide enhanced protection for patients.
Effective Friday, October 16, 2020, optometrists are required to provide, unprompted, a copy of the contact lens prescription to the patient at the end of the contact lens fitting. This takes the onus off the patient and places it squarely on the practitioner to comply with the law. Optometrists are now required to obtain a signed receipt from the patient for the prescription, and they must retain it for three years.
Optometrists cannot require patients to buy contact lenses, pay additional fees, or sign a waiver or release in exchange for their contact lens prescription.
"Since the Contact Lens Rule was enacted in 2004, our customers have continued to report issues with getting their prescriptions from their optometrist. The team at Lens.com must verify all prescription details are accurate with the doctor's office. Some offices just do not respond to our inquiries," shared Lens.com President & CEO Cary Samourkachian. "This makes it difficult for our customers to access the products they need when they need them. These changes will make it difficult for optometrists to continue to interfere with consumer choice."
For more information about the FTC's new guidance on the Contact Lens Rule, visit https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/contact-lens-rule-guide-prescribers-sellers.
About Lens.com
Founded in 1995, Lens.com, Inc. is the nation's 2nd largest online retailer for contact lenses, offering consumers all the popular brands of contact lenses at wholesale prices with convenient quick delivery. The company provides competitive pricing, convenience, personalized customer service, and online eye exams through its easy-to-use website www.Lens.com and its toll-free telephone number "1-800 LENS.COM" (1-800-536-7266). Lens.com is a privately-held U.S. corporation based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Contact: Janet Webster
888-812-9480, [email protected]
SOURCE Lens.com, Inc.
