KUALA LUMPUR (March 25): The Medical Device Authority (MDA) has banned the online sale of optical devices and contact lenses on e-commerce platforms, reportedly to protect the health and safety of users' vision.

Its chief executive, Dr P Muralitharan, said optical devices and contact lenses are regulated under the Medical Devices Act 2012 (Act 737), and must meet all registration requirements under the same Act before they can be imported and marketed.

He said optical devices and contact lenses fall under the category of medical devices that require a prescription, and must be prepared and dispensed by a registered optician or optometrist (prescribed medical device) as stated in the Optical Act 1991, Section 30, enforced by the Malaysian Optical Council.

“In support of the implementation of the ban, the MDA will not issue any approvals related to the advertisement and sale of optical devices and contact lenses online," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Muralitharan said any individuals found to be carrying out such activities without MDA approval will be in violation of the Medical Device (Advertising) Regulations 2019, Regulation 2(1), and can be fined no more than RM200,000 or imprisoned for no more than two years, or both.

He also said as the authority responsible for the regulation of medical devices in Malaysia, the MDA will take strict action against any party that violates the regulations, including legal action against platform providers who continue to sell optical devices and contact lenses illegally.

Muralitharan added that the MDA also urges the public’s cooperation to report the online sales of optical devices or contact lenses to the MDA through the MDA feedback management aystem (FEMES) at https://femes.mda.gov.my/ or by emailing mdb@mda.gov.my.

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