FOR YOUR INFORMATION..........................DECEMBER 16, 1992
FTC STAFF TESTIFY THAT PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO WASHINGTON STATE
BOARD OF OPTOMETRY RULES ARE LIKELY TO REDUCE COMPETITION
AND RAISE PRICES
Allowing opticians to continue fitting contact lens in
competition with other providers is likely to benefit consumers
in Washington state by encouraging lower prices without impairing
the quality of eye care, a Federal Trade Commission official said
in testimony today before a Washington state legislative panel.
State Representative Cal Anderson invited the FTC staff
testimony, which was delivered by Charles A. Harwood, Director of
the FTC's Seattle Regional Office, at a hearing on rules recently
adopted by the Washington State Board of Optometry. Under the
new rules, dispensing opticians may still fit contact lenses, but
only under more tightly controlled direction by optometrists.
The hearing was held yesterday afternoon by the Washington State
Legislature's Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee.
By preventing a qualified optician from fitting a consumer's
contact lenses unless specifically authorized to do so by an
optometrist, the rules limit how effectively opticians can
compete with optometrists, and are "likely to increase prices and
decrease the availability of contact lens fitting services,"
Harwood said.
Citing a 1983 FTC study that found no significant difference
in the quality of cosmetic contact lens fitting provided by
opticians, ophthalmologists, or optometrists, Harwood testified
that "competition among these provider groups is unlikely to have
any adverse effects on the quality of eye care provided to
consumers." In addition to examining quality of care issues, the
study also scrutinized the prices of cosmetic contact lens
fitting services. The study found that, in contrast to the
quality of service which was substantially the same among
- more -
Wash. State Board of Optometry--12/16/92)
provider groups, prices varied widely, with on average ophthal-
mologists charging the highest prices, opticians and non-
commercial optometrists charging in the middle, and commercial
optometrists charging the lowest.
Thus, the staff concluded, restricting how qualified
opticians compete in offering contact lens fitting services
appears to be unnecessary to protect the public from poor quality
service, and is likely to result in consumer injury, by reducing
competition and increasing the prices of contact lenses.
The testimony represents the views of the FTC's Seattle
Regional Office and Bureau of Consumer Protection, and not
necessarily the views of the Commission or any individual
Commissioner.
Copies of the staff testimony are available from the FTC's
Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-
326-2502.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT: Brenda A. Mack, Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2182
STAFF CONTACT: Charles A. Harwood, Seattle Regional Office
2806 Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98174
206-553-4656
or
Richard F. Kelly, Bureau of Consumer
Protection, 202-326-3303
(FTC File No. V930004)
(Wash-com)