Thousands of people in Spain buy inexpensive ready-made glasses from pharmacies, supermarkets and other shops, but a new parliamentary decision could bring greater scrutiny to how these products are sold.

Spain’s Congress of Deputies has backed calls for stronger road-side inspections and monitoring of spectacles, including ready-made glasses, prescription glasses and contact lenses sold online or outside specialist healthcare establishments.

The plan was approved by the Committee on Social Rights and Consumer Affairs on May 26, receiving 33 votes in favour and four against. It was subsequently published in the Congressional Bulletin on June 10.

The proposal, put forward by the Socialist parliamentary group, calls on the Government to work with regional authorities and European institutions to strengthen controls over the sale of optical products.

However, the decision does not introduce an outright ban on ready-made glasses or make them illegal to buy outside opticians.

Why cheap glasses are under scrutiny

Ready-made glasses, known in Spain as gafas premontadas, are sold in standard magnifications rather than being individually prescribed. Unlike prescription spectacles, they do not require individual adaptation by an optician and can legally be sold outside specialist healthcare establishments, provided they meet the applicable safety and quality requirements.

The parliamentary initiative argues that stronger checks are needed to ensure these products are stored, handled and sold in suitable conditions. It also raises concerns about prescription glasses and contact lenses purchased online, particularly where customers have not received the necessary professional assessment.

DGT warning puts drivers in the spotlight

The issue also has implications for drivers, particularly older ones who may rely on inexpensive glasses purchased without an eye examination. Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has previously warned that ready-made glasses are not a substitute for properly prescribed driving glasses. They are designed for close-up vision and may not correct problems affecting distance vision, astigmatism or differences between the two eyes.

Drivers who need corrective lenses to meet the eyesight requirements for driving must comply with the conditions recorded on their licence. As explained in EWN’s guide to the €200 penalty for driving without required glasses or contact lenses, failing to follow a visual-correction restriction can result in a fine.

Drivers can check their requirements using the codes recorded on the reverse of their Spanish driving licence, as explained in EWN’s previous DGT warning about glasses and contact lenses.

The latest parliamentary decision does not create a new driving offence or introduce an automatic fine for wearing ready-made spectacles. Instead, it puts pressure on the Government to strengthen consumer protection and oversight of the optical products being sold to the public.

Mijas distributes 33,000 super-seeds across its Sierra to regenerate plant life scorched by wildfires and combat creeping desertification.

In a hands-on bid to reverse decades of environmental damage, the Spanish town of Mijas has distributed more than 33,000 “supersemillas” across its Sierra, aiming to regenerate plant life scorched by wildfires and threatened by creeping desertification.

The plan, led by the Ayuntamiento de Mijas in partnership with the local firm Exploramás, relies on a centuries-old Japanese technique known as nendo dango. Volunteers crafted small balls of clay, natural fertilizer, substrate and meadow seeds. Once scattered on the ground, the clay casing shields the seeds from birds, wind and sun until rainfall gradually dissolves it, allowing germination without any need for planting or irrigation. A similar nendo dango approach has already been used on the Costa del Sol dunes.

Deployment of seeds follows successful experiments

The second phase of the project saw the seed balls dispersed around the former Los Arenales quarry near Mijas Pueblo and in the Hipódromo area, zones still recovering from recent fires. The effort builds on an earlier workshop held between 20 and 21 October at Cortijo Don Elías, where roughly 700 residents, students and association members rolled the balls by hand. Participants included pupils from the Las Lagunas, Sierra de Mijas, Torre Almenara and Villa de Mijas institutes, students from Kampus Formación, and members of the Fuenmijas Parkinson’s association and Afesol.

Organisers had originally planned for 27,000 seed balls; the final tally exceeded 33,000, a figure chosen in part to symbolically represent the workforce of General Electric, which supported the social action through Exploramás.

Mayor Ana Mata takes part

Mayor Ana Mata joined Environment Councillor Marco Cortés and Education Councillor Juan José Torres for the distribution. She described the Sierra’s recovery as a collective responsibility and stressed that involving schools, associations and businesses turns a practical restoration project into broader environmental education. This latest action continues broader volunteer-led efforts to revive the fire-damaged forests of the Sierra de Mijas.

“When administrations, companies, young people and social groups work together, we achieve results that go far beyond a single environmental action,” Mata said. “We are also teaching values and respect for nature.”

By combining traditional low-tech methods with broad community participation, Mijas is betting that a few tens of thousands of carefully made seed balls can help tip the balance toward greener slopes and greater resilience against the Mediterranean’s intensifying dry spells.

Travellers flying between Europe and the United States on Saturday, 14 November, should check their flight status before leaving for the airport. US departures began to resume on Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop, but US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned that schedules would take time to recover. Passengers connecting through a US airport should check both legs of their journey.

The FAA halted departures across the United States on Friday, 13 November, after communications problems affected several regional air traffic control centres. The stop lasted more than four hours. Hundreds of flights were diverted, and more than 11,000 US flights were delayed or cancelled on Friday, according to FlightAware figures reported by The Guardian.

The disruption reached Europe on Friday night. British Airways cancelled its 10.30pm flight from Heathrow to New York. Passengers travelling between Spain and the United States should check directly with their airline for the latest departure time and any changes to onward connections.

Duffy attributed the outage to an overload in ageing communications equipment. Friday’s halt was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a separate FAA computer system failure led the agency to pause departures across the country.

The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

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