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Warnings are being spread regarding the sale and purchase of contact lenses from illegal and unregulated suppliers and stores. Trading standards offices from around the UK are attempting to make this warning common knowledge to consumers who may not realise that this form of cosmetic eye wear may in fact cause problems with their sight by wearing them
The issue surrounds the sale of cosmetic contact lenses to consumers, often in weird and wonderful colours. It seems, quite innocently, these lenses are being bought and sold as fashionable eye wear. As a form of eye wear, along the same lines as glasses and spectacles, contact lenses, be they cosmetic or vision/health related, only authorised retailers are permitted to sell them. Un-authorised sellers may be innocently selling these items, but without proper regulations and product checks, the concern is that they may cause damage or affect a consumers eye sight.
Following on from offices in Yorkshire and Hartlepool, trading standards officers are now attempting to make the warning very clear to consumers in the West Midlands, while also making sellers very much aware of their legal obligations and requirements to sell contact lenses in any form. So far, it appears that retailers have been simply unaware of these guidelines and have removed stock from sale once they have been informed and guided as to how they can go about selling them in future. The simple recommendation by officers is for consumers looking to buy cosmetic contact lenses to ensure that the sellers themselves are authorised to do so and that the fitting of them should only be done by a qualified professional.