Last month, the largest optometric lobbying group in the nation flew thousands of its members to buddy up with members of Capitol Hill. This is just another example in the recurring history of the American Optometric Association (AOA) attempting to create security in the eye care market by eliminating competition, making friends in Congress, and spreading misinformation. Before 2003, eyecare professionals--who are unique in that they sell what they also prescribe--had a virtual monopoly over the contact lens marketplace. Thanks to their brand-specific prescriptions, they could control exactly which brand of lenses consumers purchased--oftentimes name-brand at inflated prices. The draconian nature of their big-stick prescription powers stifled the free market by making it virtually impossible for alternative eye-care retailers to sell affordable goods to consumers. Finally, in 2003, Congress acted to combat these anticompetitive laws. Passing the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA), the body hoped that by mandating that optometrists to hand over prescriptions to their customers, consumers would be more able to make economic decisions to buy contact lens in the broader market.

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