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Thank you Chairman and Committee members, it is an honor to testify before
you today.
My name is Maria Martinez from Austin, Texas and I have been a contact lens
wearer for 21 years. I have endured firsthand, the effects of the lack of
competition within the contact lens market. I paid up to $300.00 for a set of
contact lenses. This frequently mandated how often I replaced my lenses. My
purchases were often dictated by my ability to pay.
While interviewing other lens wearers recently on their experiences, I found
that individuals were denied the ability to obtain their prescription. Some were
stalled until their prescription expired, others felt they were treated
deceptively. Individuals were forced to give up and ultimately paid the higher
price from the eye-care professional rather than from an alternative provider.
One individual asked for their contact lens prescription and received instead an
eye glass prescription. Unfortunately, this individual had always been a contact
lens wearer and had never received an examination for eyeglasses.
I would urge this Committee to support H.R. 2221 and promote competition in the
contact lens market - treating contact lens prescriptions equal to that of eye
glasses.
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