Coastal Contacts to Recommend Mr. Stuart Belkin to Board of Directors

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coastal Contacts
Inc. (TSX:COA) ("Coastal Contacts") the leading online retailer of contact
lenses and eyeglasses announced today that it intends to recommend Mr. Stuart
Belkin be nominated for election to Coastal Contacts' Board of Directors at the
next annual general meeting of shareholders of Coastal Contacts. Mr. Belkin has
indicated that he will accept the nomination. 

Mr. Belkin serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Belkorp
Industries Inc., a leading Canadian corporation. He also currently serves as
Chairman of Lantic Inc., Canada's largest sugar refiner, trustee of Rogers
Sugar Income Fund and as a Director of the Vancouver Police Foundation.
Previously, Mr. Belkin served as Chairman of the Canadian Hotel Income Fund,
Chair of Mohawk Oil Canada Ltd. and has served on the boards of Belkin Inc.,
Timberwest Forest Corporation, B.C. Sugar, Tembec Inc. and the C.D. Howe
Institute. 

"We are delighted that Mr. Belkin has agreed to stand for nomination to the
Board of Directors of Coastal Contacts," stated Mr. Roger Hardy, Coastal
Contacts' President and CEO. "We are confident that Mr. Belkin's experience and
business acumen will be of great benefit to Coastal Contacts going forward." 

About Coastal Contacts Inc.:

Coastal Contacts Inc. is the world's leading direct-to-consumer vision products
company which designs, produces and distributes a diversified offering of
contact lenses and eyeglasses. The Company's unique combination of branded and
private label products represent quality, value and above all, service. Coastal
sells into more than 150 countries through proprietary web properties which
reflect the culture and consumer preference of the target market. As new
markets for eyeglasses and contact lenses evolve, the Company is positioned to
become the vision product consumer's retailer of choice owing to its compelling
value proposition combining value and service. A leader in many of its markets,
Coastal is rapidly advancing toward its goal of becoming the "World's Optical
Store". 

Forward Looking Statements

All statements made in this news release, other than statements of historical
fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "may", "would", "could",
"will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect",
"goal", "target", "should," "likely," "potential," "continue," "project,"
"forecast," "prospects," and similar expressions typically are used to identify
forward-looking statements. Examples of such forward looking statements within
this document include statements relating to the nomination of Mr. Belkin to
the Company's Board of Directors. 

Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs,
assumptions, estimates and forecasts about our business and the industry and
markets in which we operate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are
difficult to predict. Assumptions underlying our expectations regarding
forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release
include, among others: that the intentions of Coastal Contacts and Mr. Belkin
not change between now and the next annual general meeting of shareholders. The
foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. 

Persons reading this news release are cautioned that forward-looking statements
or information are only predictions, and that our actual future results or
performance may be materially different due to a number of factors. These
factors include, but are not limited to: changes to the intentions of either or
both Coastal Contacts or Mr. Belkin regarding his nomination between the date
of this news release and Coastal Contacts next annual general meeting of its
shareholders. Reference should also be made to the section entitled "Risk
Factors" contained in our most recently filed Annual Information Form dated
January 29, 2009 and in the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm listing prospectus dated
October 14, 2009, as filed on Sedar and with the Swedish Financial Supervisory
Authority, for a detailed description of the risks and uncertainties relating
to our business. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and
events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in
their entirety by this cautionary statement. These forward-looking statements
are made as of the date of this news release and we expressly disclaim any
intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, unless we
specifically state otherwise and except as required by applicable law. 

CONTACT:  Coastal Contacts Inc. 
          Terry Vanderkruyk, Vice President, Corporate Development
          604.676.4498
          terryv@coastalcontacts.com