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Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-110

§7609 Study and Report

Title 15 › CHAPTER 102 — FAIRNESS TO CONTACT LENS CONSUMERS › § 7609

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Federal Trade Commission must study how competitive the market is for prescription contact lenses. The study must look at five things: how often sellers or eye-care providers have exclusive deals with lens makers and what that does to competition; differences between online and in-store sellers, including price, access, and availability; how often prescriptions name a brand or custom-labeled lenses, why that happens, and how it affects buyers and competition; how the FTC eyeglasses rule (16 CFR 456) and its enforcement have affected competition; and any other issues that affect competition. No later than 12 months after the chapter takes effect, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission must send a report of the study to Congress.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §7609

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Study
The Federal Trade Commission shall undertake a study to examine the strength of competition in the sale of prescription contact lenses. The study shall include an examination of the following issues:
(1)Incidence of exclusive relationships between prescribers or sellers and contact lens manufacturers and the impact of such relationships on competition.
(2)Difference between online and offline sellers of contact lenses, including price, access, and availability.
(3)Incidence, if any, of contact lens prescriptions that specify brand name or custom labeled contact lenses, the reasons for the incidence, and the effect on consumers and competition.
(4)The impact of the Federal Trade Commission eyeglasses rule (16 CFR 456 et seq.) on competition, the nature of the enforcement of the rule, and how such enforcement has impacted competition.
(5)Any other issue that has an impact on competition in the sale of prescription contact lenses.
(b)Report
Not later than 12 months after the effective date of this chapter, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall submit to the Congress a report of the study required by subsection (a).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

For

Effective Date

of this chapter, referred to in subsec. (b), see section 12 of Pub. L. 108–164, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 7601 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective 60 days after Dec. 6, 2003, see section 12 of Pub. L. 108–164, set out as a note under section 7601 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 7609

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110