Online challenge

Cheng Yuan, 26, has lived in Britain for five years. There, contact lenses, including cosmetic varieties, cannot be sold without a prescription.

"If you want to buy just ordinary contact lenses for the first time, you have to undergo an eye test first," said the Chinese-language teacher, who lives in Scotland. "They check the health of your eyes and decide whether you can try lenses or not."

At the branch she visited, customers were unable to purchase lenses until after a free trial of at least a week and then a second test to check for side effects.

The final price for a reusable lenses was about 20 pounds ($30), Cheng added, about double what she now pays in China.

Like in the West, cosmetic lenses are also readily available online. This will be another challenge for the central government to overcome in its drive to improve safety standards.

Taobao, China's largest Internet shopping platform, has myriad companies that stock the lenses, including Sasa Optical Store, which offers a range of brands - Eva, Misseye, Cocoeye and Komi-look - not available in large specialist shops.

Using the website's instant messenger, a salesperson told China Daily that the store stocks Chinese products, as well as imports from Japan and South Korea. The cheapest was a pair of lenses costing just 28 yuan that came in more than 20 colors.

When asked whether there were any risks involved, the vendor insisted the lenses are safe as long as the wearer has no history of eye disease.

Contact the reporter at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn