The Rule implements the Fairness to
Contact Lens Consumer Act of 2003 (15.U.S.C. 7601-7610). The Act
seeks to enable consumers to purchase contact lenses from the
seller of their choice. Among other things, the Act requires
contact lens prescribers to provide contact lens prescriptions to
their patients, and to provide or verify contact lens prescriptions
to third parties designated by patients. Sellers who seek
verification of contact lens prescriptions must retain one or two
records for each contact lens sale: Either the relevant
prescription itself, or the verification request and any response
from the prescriber.
There are no program changes
since the FTC’s prior clearance renewal in 2013. The increased
estimates for burden hours are largely due to an upward adjustment
in the estimated number of contact lens wearers (from 38 million in
2013 to 41 million in 2016) and staff’s belief that the percentage
of sales in the industry that requires an original prescriber to
correct a prescription from a third-party seller is currently
higher than what was previously estimated (from 5.1% in 2013 to 15%
in 2016) along with the instances where an original prescriber
voluntarily confirms a request to a third-party seller that is
already correct (from 5.1% in 2013 to 15% in 2016). Additionally,
there is an increase in the estimated amount of time that
prescribers spend responding to verification requests from
third-party sellers (from 3 minutes per request in 2013 to 5
minutes per request in 2016). Finally, there is an upward
adjustment in our annual labor costs stemming from updated labor
categories that now include ophthalmologists as a portion of
prescribers’ costs. Previously, such costs were covered exclusively
by optometrists which have a lower mean hourly rate.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.