In an recent research study, it was found that individuals who did not purchase their contact lenses from an eye doctor, but from an online site or store are potentially placing themselves at greater risk.   In this study, the researchers found certain patterns emerging.  Those people that purchased contact lenses at their doctor's office were more likely to follow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations than the people who purchased their contact lenses online, at a wholesale club, or an optical chain outlet.  Since the results of the study were made public, the study has been mentioned on more than 150 websites including Marketwire, ScienceDaily.com and SmartMoney.com.  Although, contact lenses are safe, poor compliance with proper contact lens regimens, including regular care with the eye doctor, are very important for maintaining safe and healthy contact lens wear. 

In a relatively recent report by Prevent Blindness America, it was shown that the top four eye problems in the United States, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Cataract, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Refractive Error (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia), conservatively cost  $51 billion annually.  This report looked at the impact of these vision problems on federal and state budgets, personal expenditures, and health-related quality of life.  Two different teams of health economists analyzed all of the collected data and concluded that there is a strong need for greater investment in vision problem prevention and research.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged BeWild, Inc. (and its president Brian Cohen) and Pretty Eyes, LLC (and its owner Christiana McNulty), for violating the FTC's Contact Lens Rule and FTC act by selling non-corrective contact lenses on their websites, www.bewild.com and www.prettyeyes.org, without obtaining consumers' prescriptions or verifying the prescriptions with the prescribers, and failing to keep proper records of prescriptions and verifications.  The BeWild website no longer offers contact lenses and has been prohibited from representing that contact lenses can be obtained without a prescription and the PrettyEyes website has been vacated.  Although fines have been imposed along with the future restrictions placed on these two companies, it is truly unfortunate that there are individuals such as these that will put the public's health, and possibly their sight at risk, all to make a dollar.  The expression "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) when applied to contact lenses not only refers to the general use of the expression referring to the financial aspect of risk, but in addition, their very health could be in jeopardy by unscrupulous individuals.