In the light of the ill effects of eyesight damage observed among lens users, the Board of Optometry based in California has cautioned its residents to avoid the purchase of costume contact lenses without medical prescription, thereby causing a major blow to the illegal sellers across the costume contact lenses industry in California. The Board has observed that the lenses bought without the consultation and prescription of certified ophthalmologists had caused impaired vision, eye infection, scratched corneas and even loss of vision in certain cases. The California Board of Optometry, in a bid to spread the message across the state, has requested consumers who have already purchased costume contact lenses without prescriptions to promptly notify the Board and interact with them to gain further insights into the matter. Apparently, the declaration is certain to substantially impact the competitive landscape of polymers and advanced materials industry, cite experts.In the U.S., the month of October usually proves highly profitable for illegal lens merchants across costume contact lenses market, as these products are liberally sold in flea markets, beauty salons, mall kiosks, gas stations, novelty stores, barber shops, and Halloween costume shops in this month every year. The FDA however, has cautioned the public against purchasing these lenses from video stores, boutiques, beach shops, and online websites, given that they are notorious for merely changing the eye color, instead of providing the dual benefits of corrected vision and changed eye color.
The regulatory warnings may be based on the occurrences of unfortunate incidents related to these lenses. For instance, in 2015, a 17-year-old Michigan resident succumbed to partial blindness post using costume contact lenses bought without medical prescription. On the grounds of incidences such as the aforementioned, the California Board of Optometry may have decided to prewarn the state’s lens users to purchase legalized products. While this would reduce the number of ill-fated cases of eye problems, it is likely to prove disastrous for the illegal lens sellers across contact lenses market.