CTNJ/Opinion:  Rent seeking in the Capitol – Paranoia about the optometry app

Terry Cowgill lives in Lakeville, blogs at ctdevilsadvocate.com and is managing editor of The Berkshire Edge in Great Barrington, Mass.

Smack in the middle of a towering state budget crisis, and as the General Assembly goes into special session to deal with it, it might seem very small of a Connecticut political columnist to devote time and space to a segment of the business community that’s afraid of competition, but here goes anyway.

In a little noticed act of protectionism, the General Assembly quietly passed a bill — an Act Concerning Consumer Protection in Eye Care — whose purpose is “To protect consumers from dubious technology that can compromise well-accepted standards of care and place a patient’s health at risk.”

Who could possibly object to that? After all, isn’t protecting us from fraud and evil-doing one of the government’s major responsibilities? But this isn’t fraud at all. It’s a new technology that, in some cases, would eliminate the middle-man and allow consumers to test their vision, online or with a mobile phone app, and order new contact lenses without an expensive office visit to an optometrist.

Read the full story on CT News Junkie.