The sale of glasses and lenses on the Internet should lower prices by 30 to 40% according to Benoît Hamon, Minister for Consumer Affairs.
The sale of glasses and contact lenses on the Internet is on the right track. The Senate introduced it in the bill of consumption which passes this December 10 in second reading in the National Assembly. A new competition which should have as a main consequence a “drop in prices of 30 to 40%” according to the Minister for Consumer Affairs Benoît Hamon.
The gain on purchasing power is estimated at one billion euros, the minister said. This should open up access to optical products with the tightest budgets. Benoît Hamon mentioned an annual expenditure of 81 € for glasses and contact lenses, which makes the French the most spendthrift in Europe. But it is estimated that 3 billion people go without an optical correction because of the high price of the equipment and the low rate of reimbursement by mutuals. Expenses however necessary.
The amendment specifies that the first issue of corrective glasses and lenses must be subject to a medical prescription. This will remain valid for three years, instead of the five suggested by Benoît Hamon. It remains to be seen whether this concession will be enough to satisfy the ophthalmologists who are upset against this bill. Five ophthalmology professors yesterday sent a letter to Marisol Touraine to alert him to “the health threat” posed by this text. For his part, Benoît Hamon praised “the quality and the formidable service of the network of opticians”, and he insisted on the fact that “savings can be made, in particular by online distribution”.
The Minister for Consumer Affairs also asked MPs not to withdraw the authorization to market pregnancy tests and lens cleaning products in supermarkets, another measure in favor of households.
.
