WASHINGTON — With Halloween rapidly approaching, federal law-enforcement authorities are issuing a consumer warning against dangerous counterfeit contact lenses and unapproved decorative contact lenses illegally sold at retail outlets and online that can cause eye infections, conjunctivitis and impaired vision.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have combined efforts to make several hundred seizures totaling around 100,000 pairs of counterfeit, illegal and unapproved contact lenses. The enforcement actions, coordinated from the ICE-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), were conducted under the FDA-led initiative dubbed Operation Double Vision, an ongoing effort to target the illicit importation and distribution of counterfeit and unapproved contact lenses that present a significant health and safety hazard to the American public.
“Criminal elements will capitalize on the excitement of the holiday season by selling substandard, dangerous counterfeit and illegal items with no regard for the health and safety of consumers,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Executive Associate Director Peter Edge. “Our agents are committed to collaborating with external agencies to develop effective operations and conduct aggressive investigations into the distribution of fake goods that threaten the American public with lengthy medical procedures and strenuous rehabilitation programs.”[ More]