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 sold by the company. 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. She is suing Hubble’s parent company, Vision Path, for negligence, consumer fraud, and other charges.
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 when she began experiencing severe pain in her left eye. After visiting the hospital emergency room, 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 sought medical attention 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. The lawsuit 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.
In addition to the defective lenses, Guarisco’s lawsuit accuses Vision Path of not following proper procedures for verifying customer prescriptions and paying customers for positive reviews on its website. Vision Path has stated that it is taking the allegations seriously and has launched an internal investigation.
Founded in 2016, Vision Path sells Hubble branded contact lenses online through a mail-order subscription model. The company claims that every set of lenses undergoes a thorough inspection process. However, this is not the first legal trouble for Hubble, as Vision Path previously paid a $3.5 million settlement to the Federal Trade Commission for violating contact lens rules and failing to obtain proper optometrist prescriptions for customers. The company also paid a settlement in Texas for deceptive marketing practices.
The lawsuit filed by Guarisco highlights the potential dangers of using defective contact lenses and raises concerns about the materials used in their production. As the case progresses, it will shed light on the responsibilities of companies in ensuring the safety and quality of their products.