CBO scores contact lens proposal

Despite the imposition of more stringent federal requirements, neither sellers, prescribers nor manufacturers of decorative, non-corrective lenses would be saddled with "significant" additional expenses following implementation of legislation (S 172) to regulate all contact lenses as devices, according to a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate released April 15. CBO estimates that the direct costs of the mandates in the bill would not exceed $123 mil. in 2005, with FDA incurring additional expenses of less than $500,000 annually. Sponsored by Sens. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and marked up unanimously March 9 by the Senate Health Committee, S 172 emerged following reports of teenagers who developed serious eye problems after using nonprescription cosmetic lenses purchased from unauthorized vendors (1"The Gray Sheet" March 14, 2005, p. 16)...