‘Double danger’ of counterfeit lenses and self-fitting

‘Double danger’ of counterfeit lenses and self-fitting to be discussed in new BCLA webinar

A new BCLA webinar will discuss the “disastrous” combination of the widespread availability of counterfeit corrective lenses and a rise in self-fitting.

Research has shown that counterfeit contact lenses may be supplied in contaminated solution and that the optics of counterfeit lenses may be inferior to genuine lenses.

Examination of negative reviews of websites selling contact lenses reveal some customer complaints that are highly suggestive of; at best, faulty lenses but at worst, counterfeit lenses.

In 2019 a survey of customers purchasing contact lenses online found that 387 of those surveyed (30.6%) had fitted themselves with contact lenses in the first instance without any input from an eye care professional. People who are self-fitting contact lenses may have very little education as to the care of contact lenses and their eyes.

The session will be presented by who said: “The combination of a self-fitted contact lens wearer and counterfeit lenses could prove disastrous. Awareness needs to be raised amongst eyecare practitioners of counterfeit lenses and the practice of self-fitting.

“Eye care practitioners should raise the topic of contact lens wear with all spectacle patients and their parents (in the case of children) so that patients are aware of the importance of being fitted by an eyecare practitioner.

“The public should be made aware of the dangers of counterfeit lenses and the importance of purchasing lenses from a trusted source.”

The webinar follows on the success of the recent Love Your Lenses Week and forms part of the BCLA’s ongoing education programme for 2022, with a range of online and face-to-face events scheduled to give members access to the very latest learning and technological advances in the field of contact lenses and anterior eye.

Claire McDonnell is an optometry lecturer in Technological University Dublin with a special interest in contact lenses. She is the communications officer for BUCCLE (British and Irish University and College Contact Lens Educators). She has worked in private practice, refractive surgery and education in Ireland, the UK and New Zealand and has presented at both optometric and educational conferences around the world.

The webinar, which is open to both BCLA members and non-members, will be held online from 6.30pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday, 12 July 2022. The session is approved for 1 CPD point. To register for the session, visit www.bcla.org.uk.