However he has recorded an increase of 2

Buy sunglasses on the Internet should soon be a view of the spirit. The France received mid-October Brussels injunction asking him to amend its legislation, which prohibits the sale of glasses and lenses online. This is already a common practice in Britain and the United States. The France should here in mid-December respond to this request, otherwise the European Court of justice will have before it the record. The complaint that would have all raised might arise, said in Brussels, of a foreign Group specializes in contact lenses. This issue will be at the heart of the concerns of the world fair of optics, the MLIs, which opens its doors on 30 October in Paris and brings together about 40,000 professionals.

Can already be ordered his glasses to view online, but the sellers sites are located in Asia, in England and the United States. For the consumer, the main interest is the price: for simple lenses, frame included, it takes 40 to 60 euros, or 4 times less than in a traditional optician. Last year, the average price of a pair of glasses with unifocaux lens is set at EUR 259 on the French market. For progressive lenses, it rose to 527 euros. What is not within the reach of all the awards. "Our investigations show that our buyers waited for a long time to replace their glasses damaged, some holding with Scotch, because they did not have the means", says Karim Khouider, co-founder of the Direct - optic .fr site. installed in Korea, where the officer worked. In fact, if 63 percent of the French wear glasses, the renewal rate is low, they are replaced every four years, against every eighteen months in the United States.

Sites must advance

On the some 10,000 opticians of the Hexagon, as manufacturers, consolidated in the grouping of industrialists and manufacturers of optical (Gifo), is a bad look this new competition. As the market little progress in recent years. However, he has recorded an increase of 2.6 in 2007 to 4.9 billion euros. Opticians highlight the fact that measures and adjustment of the glasses requires a professional. He must calculate the pupillary gap (between the base of the nose and each eye) for well focus glasses, and so well see. On the Internet, it is the client to indicate the gap if it has already, or the measure itself. With all the risks of error. "This is not a problem of trade, but health." The glasses are not one product like any other. "The vision is the second French health concern, cannot deal with it over the leg," barking Eric Leonard, the new President of the Gifo, and Director General France of the Essilor Group. While manufacturers invest in R & D to develop innovations, "it is through the advice of the optician that best suits the client product will be marketed", he added.

In fact, as shown in the UFC-Que choose, online sites have yet to make progress. But "error in the command, we proceed to an Exchange, and in General, there is more problem for the second pair." The refund is not more than 1-2 commands, provides Karim Khouider. Created a year ago, Direct - optic .fr had to climb a small structure in France to handle references.

For this site as for others, the green light from Brussels is awaited with impatience because it will allow them to locate in the hexagon. It will primarily allow reimbursement by social security for purchases on the Net. And therefore mutual who often refused. Karim Khouider does not expect a tidal wave: "it is the market for contact lenses which should particularly benefit, because it is less complicated." In three years, only 1 million people have bought their glasses over the Internet in the world.