Michael A. Kakuk  |  June 29, 2016

Category: Consumer News

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LensCraftersA class action lawsuit filed in New Jersey alleges that LensCrafters intentionally withholds eye prescription information from customers so they cannot get glasses from other, competing stores.

Specifically, the complaint states that the pupillary distance (PD) is a legally required measurement for “opthalmic dispensers such as LensCrafters” (glasses makers) to “ensure the proper fabrication of lenses and eyewear.”

The class action asserts that it is Lenscrafters’s “routine policy and practice” to refuse to provide the PD measurement to its customers.

The LensCrafters class action lawsuit contends that the company’s refusal to provide PD measurements is a violation of New Jersey consumer protection laws.

LensCrafters advertises its “Accufit® Digital Measurement System” partly by showing a PD measurement in a video on its own website, according to the complaint. The class action argues that this is deceptive advertising, because the consumer does not actually get to own the benefit of that measurement.

The lawsuit also alleges that LensCrafters intentionally misleads customers about who is performing its eye exams and glasses fittings. The class action asserts that Lenscrafters does not clearly state to consumers that appointments made with optometrists through its website or telephone number are generally not LensCrafters employees, but rather independent optometrists.

In addition, LensCrafters does not properly inform consumers that “technicians who perform the measurement of customers’ pupillary distance” are not optometrists. The complaint alleges that LensCrafters deceptively suggests that the PD measurement is part of the eye exam, when it is not.

The class action lawsuit alleges that “LensCrafters withholds the pupillary distance from its customers for one reason: because it knows that once the customer has this information they will be able to shop for eyeglasses at one of LensCrafters competitors.”

The complaint states that LensCrafters, and its parent company Luxottica, is the largest optical retailer in the U.S. more than 2,400 retail stores in the U.S., including Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical, and others.

Due to its dominant position, the LensCrafters class action argues that its refusal to allow customers necessary information to go elsewhere “has had and will continue to have the effect of substantially lessening competition,” and is a violation of New Jersey antitrust laws.

Plaintiff Blane Friest states that he purchased prescription glasses from LensCrafters in December of 2014. Friest says he attempted to obtain the PD measurement of his old glasses in July of 2015, but LensCrafters refused.

Friest seeks to represent a Class of “all individuals who purchased prescription eyewear at a LensCrafters in New Jersey within the past six years who did not receive their pupillary distance when they requested it.”

The LensCrafters class action lawsuit is requesting treble damages for the violations of New Jersey consumer protection and competition statutes, as well as a court order requiring LensCrafters to disclose PD measurements to its customers.

Friest is represented by Bruce H. Nagel of Nagel Rice, LLP.

The LensCrafters Antitrust and False Advertising Class Action Lawsuit is Blane Friest v. Luxottica Group SpA., et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-03327, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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8 thoughts onLensCrafters Class Action Says Eyewear Prescription Info Withheld

  1. Nightmare optician says:

    In conn., optometrist do not need a lens meter yet the dept of health allows them to sell at retail and fill their own prescriptions they themselves write. They also allow the doctors to use optical employees as slave labor assisting the (independent?) Od . Check out a Stark Law lawsuit..That is where the serious coin is.

  2. TJRB says:

    PD is important in picking our eyeglasses, ideally you want your your glasses bridge measurement plus one lens width equal to your PD. This centers the eye into the sweet spot of the lens. Anything else will not be ideal. it will quickly thicken the lens on the nose side or temple side, it will add weight no matter what, if the bridge plus lens size is too much bigger then your PD you can get back reflecting from the extra overhanging lens, think rear view mirror. In Virginia I went into a doctor’s owned eyeglass shop, they were going to charge me $10 if I had not gotten the prescription from them, just buying glasses. You can measure it yourself, it is pretty easy, takes less then 2 minutes. This is a scam industry as it is. And yes, Congress should look into the monopoly being created by that Italian company, they are greedy, overcharge Amercians.

    1. TJRB says:

      PS, just to be clear, your best vision will be in the center of the lens matching your PD only, having the PD located anywhere else is less efficient optically. If this isn’t part of a prescription, then I don’t know what is. It’s like selling you pills, charging you $10 to tell you how to take them. What they are trying to stop is on line buying.

  3. Nicole says:

    Laws vary by state. In New Hampshire the definition of an eyeglass prescription does not include pupilary distance information. As previously stated, this measurement is only taken into account when creating eyeglasses. It’s not data an optometrist needs for determining your prescription. You’re suing them for not giving you something that’s not part of your Rx. Good luck.

  4. 4eyes says:

    The PD measurement is for laboratory fabrication of lenses, it alone cannot make you see, thus it is not part of your prescription. It tells the lab where the best place to grind the lens is. The place where you are ordering the glasses takes that measurement for you at no charge. The reason people want that information is so that they can order their glasses online. First, you are asking your optician to help you NOT buy something from them, second, you are asking the optician to take responsibility for a finished product that we have not had the luxury to inspect for accuracy. If you are truly ordering them from a legitimate optical shop, the measurement will taken and sent to the lab with your order, it is not a number that you need in your life for any other reason. It has been being done that way since the begining of glasses, its only now that people want to buy glasses online that this is an issue. All of those cheap online sites have instructions on how to measure your own anyway. If you are buying glasses online you are already not very concerned with quality or accuracy, why not measure your own and roll with it and stop complaining.

    1. William Jackson says:

      I paid my optometrist $1200. For a pair of glasses . You don’t think he should have to tell me the pupil distance he used to make them?

  5. SuGina says:

    I lost my eye glasses a couple months after having my eyes checked. The location I went to would not provide my information at all. So I called another location across town to get my information. Would I be able to file a lawsuit in Pennsylvania?

    1. donovan says:

      SuGina, as soon as you can, contact Bruce Nagel or Randee Matloff at Nagel Rice (nagelrice.com, 973-618-0400). They may be able to help you file a lawsuit in Pennsylvania. That should not have happened to you!

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