We take a closer look at the challenges regulators and eye care professionals face in tackling the unregulated and illegal online sale of contact lenses – and explore what more can be done to address this problem.
The illegal online sale of cosmetic (zero-powered) and prescription contact lenses presents a widespread and growing regulatory concern in the UK. More and more digital platforms are finding ways to bypass UK optical regulations, making it harder to protect consumers and ensure lenses are sold safely.
A 2024 study by Ng and colleagues looked at 47 online sellers of cosmetic contact lenses and found that only about one in eight (12.7%) met the legal authorisation requirements set out in the Opticians Act 1989. More than a quarter of the cosmetic lenses (26.5%) being sold didn’t even carry a CE mark, which is required to show compliance with safety standards. Most of these online stores fell short of UK rules on safe supply and lacked clear consumer information. At the same time, organisations such as the Association of Optometrists (AOP) and British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) have warned that many online platforms appear to sidestep UK optical regulations, placing consumers at increased risk.
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