A New Mexico woman has filed a lawsuit against Hubble Contacts, claiming that she had to have her eye removed due to defective contact lenses. Stephanie Guarisco of Clovis alleges that she experienced severe pain and injury after using the lenses for only a few weeks, ultimately resulting in the loss of her right eye. Guarisco is suing Hubble’s parent company, Vision Path, for negligence, consumer fraud, and other counts.
According to the lawsuit, Guarisco purchased Hubble contact lenses through the company’s website in early 2020. She wore the daily lenses until late July of that same year. Weeks later, she experienced severe pain in her left eye and sought medical attention. An optometrist diagnosed her with iridocyclitis, an inflamed iris condition. Guarisco was later diagnosed with a corneal ulcer in her left eye. Her eye issues worsened, and she eventually sought treatment for allergy-like symptoms in her right eye, including discharge, redness, itching, and visual disturbances. She was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer in her right eye and reported decreased vision.
Despite undergoing several surgeries to repair the ulcer, they were unsuccessful, and Guarisco now has a permanent prosthetic in her right eye socket. She claims that Hubble contact lenses are made using Methafilcon A, a silicone-based polymer that many optometrists consider inappropriate for making contact lenses due to its lack of oxygen supply to the eye.
While Hubble’s contact lenses are approved by the FDA, the lawsuit alleges that Methafilcon A is an inferior material no longer prescribed for contact lenses in the United States. The complaint also accuses Vision Path of not following proper procedures for verifying customer prescriptions and paying customers for positive reviews of the lenses on its website.
In response to the lawsuit, Vision Path stated that it is taking the allegations seriously and has initiated an internal investigation. Vision Path is a direct-to-consumer business that sells Hubble branded contact lenses online through a mail-order subscription model.
This is not the first legal trouble for Hubble and Vision Path. In January 2022, Vision Path paid $3.5 million in a settlement to the Federal Trade Commission for various violations, including failing to obtain proper optometrist prescriptions for customers’ contact lenses. The company also paid nearly $375,000 in a settlement in Texas last June for deceptive marketing practices.
The lawsuit filed by Guarisco highlights the importance of ensuring the safety and quality of contact lenses. Consumers should be cautious when purchasing contact lenses and consult with their optometrists to ensure they are using the appropriate products for their eyes.