Original Article was published on THE STAR on 6th December, 2013.
PETALING JAYA: “For sale: 90-day contact lenses, still new, used only once.”
It’s true what they say – these days, you can buy almost anything online. According to one anime enthusiast, Rosie, it is common for Cosplay fans here to put up their contact lenses for sale on social media after using them once.
“Our characters’ look includes the colour or shape of the eyes, so coloured contact lenses are an essential part of our costume kit.
“Many buy second-hand contact lens because it is cheaper when they want to change characters.
“There are even those who offer to exchange contact lenses with others online,” said the 20-something graphic artist.
Online sales of cosmetic contact lens is a growing trend among many young people, said the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO).
“Search with keywords like ‘cheap contact lenses’ and you will find many individuals and online shops pushing the cosmetic products,” said AMO assistant honorary secretary Muhammad Syukri Mohamad Rafiuddin.
There are also many offers online for those interested in becoming cosmetic contact lens agents or stockists.
The explosion of online vendors, combined with the lack of knowledge about the dangers of improper use of contact lenses among the young, could have grim consequences, warned AMO president Murphy Chan.
A study by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2013 found that coloured contact lens samples purchased from the Internet failed safety and health tests, he said.
“The study found that the colour pigment on six out of 10 coloured lenses bought online came out easily when they were rubbed.
“And AMO believes the unauthorised contact lenses sold in Malaysia come from the same source,” Chan said.
Chan advised cosmetic lens users to buy from optometrists and opticians who were certified to dispense them.
“Look out for the Malaysian Optical Council’s pink and green certificate to ensure the quality and reliability of the contact lenses.”
He stressed the importance of going for an eye-check and getting a prescription before buying cosmetic contact lenses “even if you have a 20/20 vision”.
The Malaysian Optical Council secretary Nor Azizah Ismail said policing online sale of cosmetic contact lenses would be easier and stricter if they were gazetted as a medical device under the Medical Devices Act 2012 (Act 737).
“We will work with MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and other enforcement authorities to monitor and regulate unauthorised cosmetic contact lenses and unlicensed vendors.”
After the gazette, Nor Azizah said, those who wanted to become manufacturers, distributors or importers of cosmetic contact lenses would need to be licensed by the Health Ministry.
“This also means that they need to be, or employ, qualified optometrists and opticians with the proper certification from MOC if they want to become stockists, agents or producers of cosmetic contact lenses.”