The Act gives consumers certain rights, including increasing their ability to choose where to shop and the right to have a copy of their own contact lens prescription. It also imposed certain responsibilities on lens prescribers and sellers, and required the Federal Trade Commission to develop and enforce implementing rules, which it did in July 2004. The Act extended to contact lens wearers rights similar to those enjoyed by eyeglass wearers for 25 years before the adoption of the Act, especially in relation to ensuing competition in the market. The Act reduced barriers to retail competition, driving down prices for consumers. Under the Rule issued by the FTC, contact lens prescribers - defined as anyone permitted under state law to issue prescriptions for contact lenses, which include ophthalmologists, optometrists, and licensed opticians who are permitted under state law to fit contact lenses must give a copy of the contact lens prescription to the patient at the end of the contact lens fitting, even if the patient doesn't ask for it. Prescribers must also provide or verify the contact lens prescription to anyone who designated to act on behalf of the patient, including contact lens sellers. Prescribers are also barred from requiring patients to buy contact lenses, pay additional fees, sign waivers or releases in exchange for a copy of their prescription, or disclaim liability or responsibility for the accuracy of an eye examination.
Contention
Prescribers may, within the law, require patients to buy contact lenses prior to prescribing, skirting the intent of the legislation, giving the prescriber at least one lens sale per year, or whenever a patient runs out of contacts, whichever is later, as prescriptions are only good for a year. Another concern a prescriber may exclaim is that they don't want to be liable for any defects in contacts provided by a third party, however the law specifically disclaims that liability.
Legislative history
The Act was introduced in the House of Representatives of the 108th Congress as H.R. 3140. Its long title is An act to provide for availability of contact lens prescriptions to patients, and for other purposes. It passed the House on November 19, 2003, and passed the Senate on November 20, 2003, and was enacted when PresidentGeorge W. Bush signed it into law on December 6, 2003 as ). It took effect on February 4, 2004. The Federal Trade Commission's notice of proposed rulemaking appeared in the Federal Register on 4 February 2004, and FTC accepted comments from various organizations through 5 April 2004. Comments received by FTC included contentions over the stipulation relating to the time in which a prescriber needs to verify a lens prescription.. The final ruling on the law was released by the FTC in July 2004. In October 2004, the FTC released a A Guide for Prescribers and Sellers. The Act followed a surge in the use of contact lenses by Americans, which had been increasing ever sincesoft contact lenses became commercially available. The Act also followed a 1997 investigation by 17 state attorneys general that found that purchasers of contact lenses from eye care practitioners had no fewer ocular health problems than purchasers of contact lenses from other sources.
