Rep. Gonzales Applauds Bill that Benefits Ohio Patients, Opticians

State Representative Anne Gonzales (R-Westerville) today applauded the passage of House Bill 258 through the Ohio House. This legislation, which Rep. Gonzales sponsored, deregulates the process of dispensing contact lenses for certain opticians by updating the restrictions in this area.

Currently, with how licenses are divided by law for opticians, some licensed spectacle dispensing opticians are prohibited from giving customers pre-boxed contact lenses because they are only licensed to prescribe eyeglasses. As a result of this bill, an optician who is licensed to distribute eyeglasses would also be permitted to give out prescribed soft contact lenses as long as they are only matching the description of the packaging with a written prescription.

“In a state where one in five contacts is purchased from an out of state business over the internet, I believe that this legislation will help keep more of this business in Ohio,” Rep. Gonzales said.

The bill passed with bipartisan support and will now move to the Senate for consideration.