AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) – The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced settlements with 21 convenience and dollar stores in the San Antonio area that allegedly violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Optometry Act by selling contact lenses without requiring a prescription upon purchase.
The San Antonio Police Department had looked into these businesses, finding evidence of store clerks selling cosmetic lenses the stores had acquired from novelty businesses. Alleged conduct of this nature is unlawful, as Texas does not exempt cosmetic lenses from the prescription requirement.
Paxton’s office notes that the lenses may cause health problems to consumers. It is not currently known if storage conditions compromised the integrity of the lenses. The novelty businesses allegedly often stored the contact lenses in the back of vans.
The store owners agreed to pay $50,000 in civil penalties and attorney fees. They will stop selling these contact lenses and give refunds for the next 90 days to all consumers who bought the lenses.