COLLEGES SEEK INJUNCTION AGAINST ESSILOR GROUP OF CANADA INC./CLEARLY
December 14, 2016 – In an effort to protect Ontario patients, the College, in partnership with the College of Opticians of Ontario, has initiated a legal proceeding against Essilor Group of Canada Inc./Clearly.
Essilor is the company that runs the online retailer www.clearly.ca. For many years it has been dispensing prescription eyewear to patients of Ontario without the direct involvement of an optician, optometrist, or physician who is licensed to practise in Ontario. This is a violation of provincial law.
Prescription glasses and contact lenses are medical devices. If improperly dispensed, they can cause sight-threatening injury. For this reason, Ontario law specifies that only registered opticians, optometrists, and physicians be allowed to perform such a procedure.
The College understands that the internet can be a safe source for ordering eyewear, but it cannot support practices that break the law.
Want to know more about the injunction we’re seeking? Here is the press release [PDF]. Want to know more about the act of dispensing? Here are some FAQs [PDF].