Categories: Headlines

Online Eyewear Battle Rages in Canada

A May 17 court date has been set.

A battle is raging after a judge in Ontario earlier this year effectively barred the online sale of corrective eyewear.

The judge said prescription eyewear could only be dispensed by an ECP licensed to practice in the region, CBC reports.

The injunction isn’t currently being enforced, as an appeal is set to be heard on May 17.

And one group, Canadians for Eyewear Choice, is collecting signatures to support allowing the continued sale of prescription eyewear online, according to CBS. So far, it’s gathered 2,400 signatures.

The College of Opticians of Ontario and the College of Optometrists of Ontario had sought the injunction to prohibit Clearly, owned by Essilor Group of Canada Inc., from dispensing prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses online in Ontario. 

Essilor has appealed Justice Thomas R. Lederer’s Jan. 11 decision to grant the injunction. The Court of Appeal granted Essilor’s request to stay the inunction pending the appeal. 

The College of Opticians said in an announcement on its website that “the dispensing of corrective lenses is a controlled act, subject to Ontario legislation, that definitively requires a regulated health professional’s involvement.”

“Mail order over the internet without the involvement of an optometrist or optician is inconsistent with legislation, the college stated.

Read more at CBC

INVISION Staff

Since launching in 2014, INVISION has won 23 international journalism awards for its publication and website. Contact INVISION's editors at editor@invisionmag.com.

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