The Vision Council Urges Optical Industry to Weigh in on DOC’s Medical Device Investigation, Requests Feedback by October 10

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council yesterday hosted a webinar, led by regulatory affair’s counsel Rick Van Arnam, to explain the potential scope of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s investigation, launched in September, into the national security implications of imported personal protective equipment, medical consumables and medical devices, and how investigation results might impact tariff costs. The webinar also offered guidance on how industry firms can participate in the public comment process, which closes October 17. “This is a call to arms on a very tight turnaround,” Van Arnam told attendees, noting the probe—announced by the president on Sept. 26—is sector wide, unlike previous trade actions that focused on a single country. “A Section 232 investigation is looking at a sector of the economy,” he said, and could lead to remedies such as tariffs or import quotas if the DOC finds imports pose a national security risk.