US contact lens regulation fight continues

The initial mbership of the new group, which is known as the Coalition for Contact Lens Consumer Choice, consists of 1-800 Contacts, Costco Wholesale and Lens.com.
In a statent released on 20 April, the group said it would oppose legislation recently introduced in the US Senate that would “severely restrict where consumers can purchase their contact lenses”.
“Contact lens consumers should be able to buy their lenses at affordable prices wherever and whenever they wish, whether online, over the phone or in a store,” Mr Brian Bethers, chief executive officer of 1-800 Contacts, said.
“This coalition will strongly resist efforts by the optometric trade association to roll back protections in current law that allow consumers to buy lenses from the retailer they choose.”
The senior vice president of Costco Wholesale, Mr Richard Chavez, commented, “While many of our over 52 million US mber cardholders enjoy the convenience of examinations by independent eye doctors with offices in our warehouses, some bring us prescriptions from other doctors.
“They do so for the value and convenience that we offer. We want to provide those mbers the same seamless service that we offer in our pharmacies, without barriers thrown up by doctors who prefer that they, rather than Costco, sell our mbers contact lenses.”
Mr Cary Samourkachian, founder and chief executive officer of Lens.com, added, “Consumers have had to fight for nearly two decades against the collusive efforts of optometrists and the multi-billion dollar lens manufacturers who are trying to deprive contact lens wearers of choice and lower prices. Congress stood up for consumers when they passed the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act in 2003 and should stand up for th again now by defeating the current effort to undermine it.”
Since 18 April, more than 17,000 individuals have signed a petition to Congress urging senators and representatives to reject the proposed legislation, according to the coalition, which is inviting contact-lens wearers, eye-care professionals, consumer groups, good-government advocacy organisations and others to join it.
The AOA has been pushing back with its own efforts to influence legislators. As VMail reported, from 17 to 19 April, AOA’s Congressional Advocacy Conference convened AOA mber doctors, leaders and students in Washington, DC to voice the profession’s priority issues and concerns to the nation’s lawmakers.
According to the AOA, more than 500 mber doctors and students will work to build more support for its top legislative priorities, including the AOA and American Dental Association-backed Dental and Optometric Care Access Act (HR 3323), which represents a national counter-attack on the anti-patient and anti-doctor policies of health and vision plans.
Additionally, advocates will “educate lawmakers on the importance of S 2777, the Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection Act of 2016, which seeks to crack down on internet sales tactics and sches that deceive the public, risk patient health and add to healthcare costs”.
In a related development, VMail has reported that Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will discontinue its controversial Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP) for contact lenses and replace it with new programs that “ensure broad access and support the needs of patients, doctors and customers”.
The company said it would focus its advocacy efforts to “defend regulation of the contact lens industry”.
The UPP policy, which set minimum prices for eye doctors who dispensed contact lenses, came under fire from discount sellers such as 1-800 Contacts and Costco, who also took legal action against the company with the aim of deregulating contact lens sales.
Earlier this month, 1-800 Contacts notified the US Federal Trade Commission of alleged violations by “nearly 28,000 optometrists and other eye-care providers of the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act of 2004”.
The Act requires eye-care practitioners to provide patients with a copy of their contact-lens prescription.
Pictured above: Brian Bethers, chief executive officer of 1-800 Contacts