Careful or your eyeballs will explode (and other scare tactics)

The American Optometric Association has a history of using deceptive, unsubstantiated health claims to mislead lawmakers.

The use of unsubstantiated health claims is not a new tactic.

Many optometrists use scare tactics, like misleading data and graphic images of eye infections, to insinuate that contact lenses are dangerous and should only be purchased from them and used under their close supervision.

What does this misleading data have to do with prescription release? Nothing.

What does this misleading data have to do with passive verification and the use of automated phone calls? Nothing.

The use of misleading health claims serves only one purpose: to convince lawmakers to let optometrists continue to force consumers to buy directly from them. Without a copy of their prescription, it's much more difficult for a consumer to shop around and buy contacts from someone else.

Keratitis is actually an infrequent condition that is easily treated.

You'll hear the term “keratitis” thrown around. Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea. It's associated with improper contact lens wear and isn't as prevalent or as serious as some optometrists would like you to believe. In reality:

• Keratitis occurs in about 2-5 contact lens wearers out of 10,000 annually (or 0.0005% of contact lens wearers).

• Over 9,000 comments were submitted.

• The FTC took holistic actions during this review period to address industry concerns with the CLR. As a result, it has adjusted requirements while trying to balance patient safety with consumer protection.

It's important to understand the context behind the claims.