TORONTO - Health Canada says it will regulate cosmetic or decorative contact lenses in the way it oversees the sale of corrective lenses.
In a statement, Health Minister Rona Ambrose says the risks cosmetic lenses pose to the eyes of people who wear them are the same as those associated with corrective lens wear.
Cosmetic lenses change the appearance of the eye but do not correct the vision of people who wear them; they are worn strictly for the appearance they create.
Currently these lenses are licensed as consumer products and are generally sold by retailers who sell costumes and cosmetics.
But under the regulatory changes Ambrose is announcing, these lenses will be treated as medical devices -- a move which brings them under greater control.
Vision care professionals have been advocating this kind of action and were supportive of the proposal when Health Canada announced last October that it was thinking of making this change.
