Description: Letter to the Senate Commerce Committee urging them not to approve S 4613, the so-called Contact Lens Rule Modernization Act. This ill-conceived bill would derail the Federal Trade Commission’s new update to the Contact Lens Rule, so that the core purpose of the Rule — requiring eye doctors to give patients a copy of their contact lens prescription, so they can choose where to shop for lenses — can be enforced. To address widespread failure to comply, the FTC’s update requires eye doctors to keep a record of the patient’s confirmation of having received the prescription. The bill would also make it harder for a retailer to verify that the prescription it is refilling is accurate and current, further frustrating the purpose of the Rule.
Consumer Reports has strongly supported the Contact Lens Rule from the beginning, and the FTC’s recent consideration of updates to ensure it is working effectively.