contact lens discussion thread (merged)

nedmundo

Steve888 wrote: »

The reason I decided to get my prescription before ordering my contacts was because some places don't let you buy them without a copy of the prescription. If they did, then things would be a lot easier.

It would also be breaking the law.

Quentin

nedmundo wrote: »

It would also be breaking the law.

Who would be breaking the law??

Not the customers, and not the reputable suppliers I mentioned!

Just scaremongering! Or do you have another agenda???

nedmundo

The suppliers - they are legally required to verify the specification before supplying you with contact lenses. It's also irresponsible, without this step, anyone could order contacts, without a clue about handling or cleaning lenses or what was suitable for them.

So - perhaps the suppliers you mentioned aren't that reputable if they knowingly break the law. There are also a lot of counterfeit lenses available on the market.

Quentin

Of course they aren't breaking the law. Or supplying fakes.

As I already asked - do you have another agenda in pursuing this (libellous) tosh?

ANY_CHANCE

Hi,

I am paying 15.00 per month for monthly silicone hydrogel lenses from specsavers. Is this too much or about right? yearly re checks have to be paid for.

petergavinblack

Under the optician's act 1989 as amended 2005 (when it became legal to sell contact lenses online) the sale must be under the general supervision and guidance of a registered optician. They are prescription items and medical devices and regulated as such. You will find all the reputable brands selling online like Specsavers, Tesco, Asda, www.Eyebuddy.co.uk do indeed check your prescription with your optician and this includes checking that you have had the health of your eyes checked recently. Where these checks don't exist then you will find that the seller is based abroad and outside the juristriction of the General Optical Council who brings prosecutions in the UK on this - ask them if you want further clarification.

Currently they are waiting for the European Union to clarify the law on cross border prosecutions before taking action against these disreputable suppliers. The key thing is to remember that contact lenses are brilliant, potentially life-changing things giving you freedom from glasses when you really need it. However if they are not fitted correctly, looked after properly or worn according to the manufacturer's or optician's recommendations then serious, and potentially sight threatening infections can occur.

The last fake lenses I heard about were Surevue brand lenses - they were repackaged dailies and were not even sterile. The industry came to know about them because people presented at hospitals with nasty eye infections and the source was eventually traced to on online retailer of fake lenses based in France.

I'm an optician by the way, but like I suspect the other contributor you accuse, I have no agenda. As opticians we are in the business of helping people see as clearly as possible, helping prevent them getting eye disease and helping prevent people going blind. We know from sales of coloured lenses through gadget shops a few years ago (a practice that was outlawed quite recently) that serious eye infections can and do happen when people don't know what they are doing and don't get proper fitting, advice and regular check ups.

Quentin

Were Lensway or Getlenses (the 2 suppliers of lenses I mentioned), doing anything illegal as you claim surely the opticians union would have taken action by now! (Get lenses have been operating over 9 years, and Lensway at least 4 years).

Your mention of coloured lenses from gadget shops is a red herring, and irrelevant.

(Here's more irrelevancy - years ago we couldn't but paracetamol from supermarkets for next to nothing. We had to get a prescription and take it to another white coated professional to get it because we couldn't be trusted to just go and buy it. You seem to want to keep some sort of monopoly on lenses now, but if its safe enough for others in Europe to be trusted to buy their lenses without this inconvenience it should be safe for us too.

The fake lenses you refer to are another red herring - we are always at the mercy of unscroupulous suppliers, and there have been reported cases of counterfeit prescription medicines getting dispensed, so no change there!

You say opticians have no agenda over this! Pull the other one.

nedmundo

Quentin wrote: »

Of course they aren't breaking the law. Or supplying fakes.

As I already asked - do you have another agenda in pursuing this (libellous) tosh?

I stand to make no gain in what I post here. If I have an agenda, it's ensuring that people use honest law abiding businesses be it online or wherever, rather than risking their ocular health and encouraging cowboys who actively flout the law.

nedmundo

Quentin wrote: »

Were Lensway or Getlenses (the 2 suppliers of lenses I mentioned), doing anything illegal as you claim surely the opticians union would have taken action by now! (Get lenses have been operating over 9 years, and Lensway at least 4 years).

Your mention of coloured lenses from gadget shops is a red herring, and irrelevant.

(Here's more irrelevancy - years ago we couldn't but paracetamol from supermarkets for next to nothing. We had to get a prescription and take it to another white coated professional to get it because we couldn't be trusted to just go and buy it. You seem to want to keep some sort of monopoly on lenses now, but if its safe enough for others in Europe to be trusted to buy their lenses without this inconvenience it should be safe for us too.

The fake lenses you refer to are another red herring - we are always at the mercy of unscroupulous suppliers, and there have been reported cases of counterfeit prescription medicines getting dispensed, so no change there!

You say opticians have no agenda over this! Pull the other one.

The General Optical Council hasn't taken action because it cannot enforce what is sent from overseas and because although it's primary function is to protect the public, it's only interest is in taking action on registered professionals.

What other agenda could we possibly have? - the changes of any of my patients reading this are slim, to say the least. It's more a case of you don't like what we are telling you, we can't help that.

If the supply is not regulated, what is there to stop irresponsible consumers from self-fitting and damaging their eyes.
Yes - you may see having to obtain a in date specification as an inconvenience, but the rules are there for good reason.

It's not rocket science - contact lens wear involves inserting plastic foreign bodies on the eyes. If the lens is unsuitable or the wearer not instructed on good handling or hygiene, then there is a significant risk of infection or in extreme circumstances permanent sight loss (and I have encountered this before, but not with my own patients of course).

Who said anything about a monopoly? There are plenty of competitive legititimate sources to buy lenses from.

suki1964

Quentin wrote: »

Were Lensway or Getlenses (the 2 suppliers of lenses I mentioned), doing anything illegal as you claim surely the opticians union would have taken action by now! (Get lenses have been operating over 9 years, and Lensway at least 4 years).

Your mention of coloured lenses from gadget shops is a red herring, and irrelevant.

(Here's more irrelevancy - years ago we couldn't but paracetamol from supermarkets for next to nothing. We had to get a prescription and take it to another white coated professional to get it because we couldn't be trusted to just go and buy it. You seem to want to keep some sort of monopoly on lenses now, but if its safe enough for others in Europe to be trusted to buy their lenses without this inconvenience it should be safe for us too.

The fake lenses you refer to are another red herring - we are always at the mercy of unscroupulous suppliers, and there have been reported cases of counterfeit prescription medicines getting dispensed, so no change there!

You say opticians have no agenda over this! Pull the other one.

Why are you so agressive? You only have to look up the opticians act yourself to see what is being told you is true