 |
For Immediate Release Contact |
Print DOWNLOAD PDF |
CONTACT LENS COMPANY AGREES TO PAY REBATES TO CONSUMERS
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff announced today that Utah residents who have bought replacement contact lenses are eligible to receive a cash rebate on a future purchase. The product benefit package from Bausch & Lomb, Incorporated is valued at $120. The proposed settlement resolves charges by Utah and 31 other states that the company conspired with other manufacturers and a professional association to limit competition.
"As a contact lens wearer myself, I know that thousands of Utahns rely on these products," said Shurtleff. "This settlement will make it easier for consumer to buy contacts and to get them at a reasonable price."
Bausch & Lomb has guaranteed that it will distribute at least $9.5 million worth of benefit packages to consumers. In addition to offering consumers the benefit package, Bausch & Lomb has also agreed to injunctive relief and will pay $8 million, a portion of which will be used to inform consumers of the settlement and how to receive benefits.
The lawsuits allege that replacement contact lenses were priced at artificially high levels after Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc., Bausch & Lomb and CIBA Vision agreed with certain optometrists and the American Optometric Association that consumers could only purchase replacement lenses from eye care professionals. According to the lawsuit, consumers found it more difficult to purchase replacement lenses from these manufacturers through mail or phone orders, the Internet, and pharmacies. The lawsuits also allege that the conspiracy forced consumers to pay higher prices for these lenses. CIBA Vision previously settled with the States in a separate settlement agreement last November.
"We want to stop businesses from stifling competition at consumers' expense," Shurtleff said. "My office is committed to prosecuting companies that make unlawful agreements with others to raise prices."
Residents who purchased replacement contact lenses from Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson Vision Products, Inc., or CIBA Vision at any time since January 1, 1988, are eligible to receive the rebate and benefit package. Acuvue®, SeeQuence®, Focus®, and NuVues® are among the popular replacement lenses sold by these manufacturers. The rebate is for eye exams and future purchases of Bausch & Lomb lenses.
Consumers who wish to register for the benefits package may do so by calling 1-888-707-5880 or go to www.freecontactlensrebates.com.
###