PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Acanthamoeba Keratitis: Health Education (14 October 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to work with manufacturers of contact lenses to educate people on how to minimise the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba Keratitis.

Asked by:
Mark Pritchard (Conservative)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for monitoring the safety of all healthcare products in the UK.

Following reports of infections that have led to sight loss due to Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK), the MHRA participated in the Love your Lenses Campaign organised by the General Optical Council with involvement and support from manufacturers and opticians. The main aim of this campaign is to increase the effectiveness of aftercare information given to contact lens wearers. Details of the campaign can be found at the following link:

https://www.loveyourlenses.com/

The MHRA’s website also highlights the risks of AK and offers guidance and advice for patients to prevent injury and infection. The website can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/medical-devices-information-for-users-and-patients

In the United Kingdom, the Opticians Act restricts the sale and supply of contact lenses, including ‘zero powered’ (plano) contact lenses, to registered optometrists, dispensing opticians, and medical practitioners. An optometrist examining a patient wishing to wear contact lenses has a duty to assess the patient's suitability for contact lenses and provide the patient with an appropriate lens care regimen, including information on the care, wearing, treatment, cleaning and maintenance of the lens or lenses.

Answered by:
Jo Churchill (Conservative)
22 October 2019