Hazard of colored contact lenses brought into focus

• Source: Global Times
• [10:04 July 15 2010]
• Comments

By Liu Dong

Following a recent warning by the American Optometric Association concerning the possible health risks of using colored contact lenses without a prescription, it was business as usual for unlicensed sellers of the lenses in the city Wednesday.

At Sanye Eyeglasses Town in Zhabei district, the biggest shopping center for eye products in the city, hundreds of shops on the fourth and fifth floors were Wednesday selling many varieties of colored contact lenses from 50 yuan ($7.4) up to a few hundred yuan. The lenses had no Chinese instructions, while the packaging was labeled in Korean.

"These lenses sell very well, and are particularly popular with young women," the manager of one shop, surnamed Wu, told the Global Times Wednesday.

Wu said that the lenses were cheap as they were directly transported from South Korea without going through customs and incurring taxes.

According to national regulations on the production of drugs and medical devices, contact lenses are ranked at the third and highest level, as they are classed as implants.

An official surnamed Du from the publicity department of Shanghai Food and Drugs Administration told the Global Times Wednesday that anyone who wants to sell contact lenses should obtain a corresponding license from the National Food and Drugs Administration.

Wu admitted his shop did not have such a license. "We can offer a lower price, is that not what people want?" He added that no refunds or replacements would be given for problematic products after customers have paid.

The lenses offered by licensed dealers cost hundreds of yuan more than those avail-able from unlicensed sellers.

Zhu Huihui, an eye doctor from Shanghai Mingtan Eye Hospital in Yangpu district, told the Global Times Wednesday that continual use of unlicensed contact lenses could cause irreversible damage to the cornea.

However, the temptation to wear the lenses remains.

"I saw other girls wearing them, so decided to give them a go," Ye Yun, a student at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times Wednesday. "I felt fine after wearing them every day for a month. I also bought them from a licensed shop."