Marnie Simpson’s Instagram posts banned for promoting ‘unsafe’ coloured contact lenses

The lenses must be fitted under the supervision of an eye care practitioner

(John Phillips/Getty Images)

Former Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson has been banned from promoting coloured contact lenses after advertising watchdogs deemed the products “unsafe”.

The 27-year-old posted several ads for her range of iSpyEyes lenses in September and October 2018, referencing bright blue styles and spooky Halloween ones.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint that stated the products were “zero-powered” contact lenses that could legally only be sold in the UK and the EU “under the supervision of a registered optometrist, dispensing optician or medical practitioner”.

The complaint said the ads were misleading because they implied the products could be legally sold by iSpyEyes without supervision of an eye care practitioner.

The retailer argued that the coloured contact lenses could be sold without such supervision because they were not designed to correct or remedy a sight defect and therefore did not classify as an “optical appliance” in the Opticians Act 1989.

Simpson’s response, as provided by her solicitors, pointed to the FAQ section of the iSpyEyes website that states: “… you should visit your optician for a lens fitting prior to purchase as all our lenses are one size”.

The solicitors also pointed out that there was a “help with wearing” section on the website demonstrating how to safely wear the lenses. Therefore, they did not consider that Simpson was encouraging “unsafe” practice by promoting the lenses.

But the ASA upheld the complaint, noting that the charity Eyecare Trust advises against wearing poorly fitted lenses – which may occur if you don’t consult an eye care practitioner – because this could lead to infections, corneal ulcers and even loss of vision in some cases.

Meanwhile, the NHS states that people should not “wear any contact lenses, including novelty lenses, that haven’t been properly fitted to your eyes”.

The ASA concluded: “We had not seen any evidence that the lenses were being sold by, or under the personal supervision of, a registered optometrist, registered dispensing optician or registered medical practitioner.

“The ads must not appear again in the form complained of. It was therefore illegal for them to be sold from the website iSpyEyes.com to consumers in the UK. We told iSpyEyes and Marnie Simpson not to encourage an unsafe practice or to imply that they could legally sell zero powered contact lenses in the UK.”

In response to the ruling, a spokesperson for Simpson provided the following statement: "Marnie takes the concerns raised seriously and will address the ASA’s ruling in the proper way."

The Independent has contacted iSpyEyes for comment.