Optometrists' group goes after illegal contact lens sellers

MANILA, Philippines - Elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP), acting on information provided by the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO), arrested three suspects allegedly engaged in the illegal dispensing and sale of contact lenses in Caloocan City.

PNP Substation 2 personnel nabbed Jackie Chua, Mark Hencel Tan and Myra Salmo during a “test-buy” operation conducted at the Victory Central Mall in Monumento, Caloocan City where the suspects were manning a retail stall carrying various brands of contact lenses prominently displayed in glass counters.

Chua sold one pair of GEO contact lenses while Tan and Salmo dispensed one pair of TruColour contact lenses to witness Danrie Lineses who posed as a buyer.

Upon Lineses’ confirmation of the completion of the test-buy, police personnel, together with Caloocan City health officials, entered the mall and inspected the retail stall.

The suspects were unable to present the sanitary permit for their business, certificate of product registration of the contact lenses they were selling, and license to operate from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

At that point, police arrested them for failure to present the necessary legal documents and confiscated the contact lenses being sold in the retail stall to protect the general public from harm.

Republic Act 8050, or the Revised Optometry Law of 1995, states that “only optometrists licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission are authorized to prescribe, fit and dispense contact lenses based on a valid prescription issued by them.”

The Department of Health recently issued a warning against the dangers of unregistered contact lenses through an FDA circular.

According to the circular, the sale or offering for sale of contact lenses without a valid registration with the FDA is in direct violation of the law and “undeniably poses imminent danger or injury to the consuming public.”

The FDA and the Professional Regulatory Board of Optometry of the PRC legally govern the dispensing, importation, manufacture and sale of contact lenses.

FDA registration is proof that a particular contact lens brand has undergone and passed the requisite quality testing, complied with established product standards, and is safe for public consumption or use.