There may be many reasons why a product is inexpensive but the goodness in a MBAs heart is never one of them.
82
As in the hospital secret shopper story this is another example of MBAs that are only in it for the money and could care less if the injure you.
I buy cheap glasses because I tend to destroy them rather quickly, but I do have a pair of zeiss glass prescription sunglasses that I baby. No way would I cheap out on something that was in constant contact with my eyes though. There is always a reason something is inexpensive and the goodness in a MBAs heart is not one of them.
27
contacts are apparently made of the kind of plastic that is the worst for the environment and marine life, and most people flush them which is bad (it's better to put them in trash). they are tiny so no one thinks of it, but especially with people flushing them every day (which is just laziness, the ones you can wear for 2 weeks are excellent and with proper care are just as comfortable and effective for 99% of people), there is a mountain of contacts going into the water system every year.
28
Hubble has identified a consumer need and filled it. Of course it’s not a universally perfect product, they don’t exist. To stick something in your eye you daily you have to take some risk regardless of the brand.
It’s the optometrists and Luxotica who are losing out on banging people over the head for simple exams that are no longer seeing the money lining their pockets from scamming people that are making this non-issue a problem.
16
@Nick the majority of people buying these contacts were never fit for these contacts by Hubble violating major laws in every state. The material is NOT the same of reputable manufacturers of contact lenses. And believe me, it isn't about profit. Patient safety is not a concern by Hubble and their shady practices. Optometrists and Ophthalmologists properly fit contact lenses with a comprehensive eye exam and contact lens fitting. This is something that cannot be done over the internet.
40
While good lenses can be expensive, they're worth it. I have worn contacts for almost 30 years and the technology behind soft contacts has changed so much that if I was still buying/wearing the lenses I wore as a teenager my eyes would be dry all the time and red, irritated and veiny as described in the article. In fact, I had some of the same issues as Ms. McCormick, though to a lesser degree. If my new eye doctor hadn't asked me about it on my annual visit several years ago, I'd probably still have that problem. Luckily he asked, and we found a more breathable product for me.
Was it pricier? Yep. Are my eyes 100% times healthier with the better lenses? Absolutely.
I will spend on contacts without hesitation. I do buy my glasses cheaply, however (Warby Parker, sturdy and stylish and inexpensive in comparison to other trendy brands).
Also, ask your eye care professional if there are any rebates, the past few times I've bought lenses I've been able to get a rebate.
29
I have a complicated prescription that includes "piggybacking" contact lenses, i.e. putting a soft lens on first, and then a hard lens over it. I am always worried about running low on soft lenses and not being able to get more quickly enough. I also can't wear glasses -- they don't correct my vision -- and I can't put the hard contact in without the soft one, as it will cause corneal ulcers. So without soft lenses on hand, I basically can't see. In Germany, you can purchase soft lenses over the counter from opticians, and I really appreciated having this service while I was there. Of course, I know exactly what my prescription is, which helps, but having the ability to purchase directly without having to use an optometrist as a middle man makes the whole process of buying lenses simpler, and greatly reduces the chance that I will have to go one or two days without being able to see.
4
@Sara
Keep in mind that piggybacking means that oxygen has to pass through two lenses instead of one. Using a low dK lens (low oxygen permeability) can put your cornea at risk for edema and neovascularization, especially if you have keratoconus or other corneal conditions. A scleral or hybrid lens may be better. Talk to your eye doctor about it.
20
@Oanh Kha ^^^ this! Scleral or hybrid lens sounds like a better solution for @Sara. Plus, @Sara contact lens prescriptions expire in a year and you need to be seen by an optometrist or ophthalmologist to make certain there are no changes in corneal health, fit, etc.
13
Remember when the contact lens manufacturers and prescribers came out with extended wear lenses that cost a lot more than daily wear, but thanks to investigating reporting were found out to be the exact same product for which they were just price gouging? I do.
24
I had a wonderful ophthalmologist who was also an excellent doctor who only charged me what his lab charged him for my contact lenses. I was shocked and his secretary said he did not want to make a profit off his patients. This is rare and he was one of a kind. That is unheard of in Manhattan let alone the US. Unfortunately, this fabulous doctor has retired and I am now visiting another who is not nearly as nice or kind as my former eye doctor. He also is not as good as a doctor.
I no longer wear contacts since having cataract surgery but if I was I would be paying hundreds of dollars more for them at the new eye doctor. These doctors want to make a killing and it is not fair to the consumer. What is a patient to do? We are at their mercy.
11
@KMW, are you saying your eye doctor shouldn't need to make a profit? How is it your eye doctor should pay her staff? Update medical equipment? Have a salary? Pay expenses? Grow the practice? Insurance companies pay so little for services, profit often depends on materials fees. I think the real question is why would your EXPECT contact lenses at cost? Why would you expect ANY service or material at cost? Contacts aren't a necessity. They're a luxury. Wear eyeglasses instead.
And your eye doctors aren't making a "killing". Next time you get an eye exam, look at what your Dr gets paid for your exam by your insurance company. Doctors are at the mercy of insurance companies.
42
They'll get bought out by Luxottica, most likely
6
Do you really want to trust your eyes to a device made in Taiwan and owned by investment bankers? Unbelievable. Globalization not such a good thing.
30
"Hubble’s Contact Lenses: Hot Online, Bad for Eyes, Doctors Say
"Hubble offers customers contact lens subscriptions at roughly $1 a day. Plenty seem happy with the product, but others have developed eye issues."
Not one of my well-informed friends has ever heard of this "Hubble". So it is colossally poor news judgment to mention the *name* (twice!) in this headline + teaser, but never tell us what it is there.
6
@polymath Hubble is advertised widely on social media in the US as well as 1-800-Contacts. Perhaps Canada has done a better job of keeping them out of your country.
7
From up here in Canada, we've bought ordinary specs emailing Rx to US online frame and lens fitters at a substantial discount to anything available domestically - with all the usual, mainly self-serving, dire warnings from locals - and the shipped eyeglasses have been fine. People have to know if they are ophthalmological hard cases or if generic fits will do, but it's not rocket science.
4
@J111111 Frames and contact lenses are dramatically different. I wouldn't hesitate to get frames online but never an off-brand of contacts.
11
I’m constantly amazed by the risky things people will do around the only pair of eyes they will ever have, and at the lengths to which vanity can cloud thinking. Don’t even get me started on eye makeup and permanent tattooing.
I tried wearing contacts while in my thirties, and feel I should have been discouraged by ophthalmologists, instead of catering to my vanity for $. My eyes are two different sizes, and one is so astigmatic it can only recently be corrected with high tech eyeglasses, and well outside the range toric contact lenses can correct. Still, medical doctors sold me ill-fitting lenses, plus a pair of reading glasses to pull out when I needed to read something; unworkable for a compulsive reader.
My husband got LASIK surgery to ditch glasses for sports, and immediately had to buy reading glasses; not for me. My sister was so desperate to lose the glasses that she’d worn since grammar school she underwent radial keratotomy, three times. I’m happy to stick with my blended bifocals, though I wish I didn’t have to fire ophthalmologists who try to sell me “cosmetic injectables” and attempt to trick me into expensive off-label-use ointments for a mild dry eye condition.
These are your eyes, people; and contacts are medical implants; look for a doctor who treats your sight like the precious gift it is. Ask yourself how this trendy new company can make a profit on an established product with tiny margins. Heed this article’s timely warning.
20
@Alice Smith just wondering if you’ve checked with your eye dr lately. I too have extreme astigmatisms and dramatically different eyes. I wear special order toric lenses made out of a very breathable material and see better with lenses than with glasses. That said, I would never buy discounted lenses that weren’t approved by my dr. That’s crazy.
12
@Alice Smith Well put!!
3
Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.
Optometrists (and multi-national contact lens manifacturers) are the hogs here.
8
This is absolute insanity......their current price is $36/month, or $432 per year plus $3*12 = $36 shipping = $468/year. You can get an actual quality name brand daily disposable contact lens for $408 for a years' supply after a $100 rebate!!
Yeah....Hubble, just like the space telescope...must be good...yeah, a couple of guys just looking out for the rest of us.......no messy exams necessary.......no curvature readings, etc. Sounds great! Cool, I'm ready to jam them into my eyes!!!
Personally, we should boycott all goods by Colgate-Palmolive for backing this nonsense! Anyone with problems should maybe stop trusting that FB and INSTG properly vet these things.
40
40,000 people die yearly from car accidents yet the DMV doesn't bring them in regularly for visits to remind them to use directionals, go the speed limit and avoid drinking and driving.
As far as I know, no one has died from a bad set of contact lenses. Yes, doing stupid things like leaving your contacts in for several days, not maintaining proper hygiene and ignoring symptoms can lead to problems whether it's cheap, expensive, direct-to-consumer or professionally prescribed lenses.
Hubble has a high rating with Consumer Affairs. This sounds like industry protectionism to me.
9
@doc007 you're comparing apples to oranges. "Mortality", as it relates to vision, is vision loss, not death. And yes, vision loss from poorly fit contact lenses (or not fit at all contact lenses), leads to vision loss every single day in this country.
23
279 complaints in three years? And not all of them about the lenses? Not bad! I’m sure they sell to hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers! I Wore hard lenses for over 20 years and because of dry eye was told by my optometrist to switch to soft dailies. They were SO expensive per month that I quit after a few months!
And I got three eye infections with the ‘optometrist fitted’ lenses anyway! Another example of the ‘greedy’ medical industry! They’re little pieces of plastic! I was shocked after not having been to an optometrist for many years at how much the prices for their services had increased.
The prices for eyeglasses was exorbitant! There’s no reason eyeglasses should be $700! GEEED! I paid for hard lenses, fitted and ordered once and wore the same lenses for 20 years!
Contacts are a racket! I’m sure the optometrists get a kick-back and make a huge profit by selling the lenses. Now I have new lenses to replace cataracts and don’t need glasses OR contacts!
HA HA!
8
One dollar vision, one dollar lenses
4
This piece is well done. Actually, one issue it raises may be more widespread. For some years, pharmaceutical companies have been marketing directly to consumers. Patients arrive wanting a drug they saw advertised. "Ask your doctor if --- is right for you." Their drugs require a prescription and medical supervision is assumed to occur. In practice, once the prescription is filled, some patients don't see the need for medical supervision. Cost and inconvenience of seeing a medical provider periodically may be an issue for some, for others, they don't see the point of follow-up care, at all. For them, the provider is merely a source of the drug advertised to them.
Mostly, practitioners will not authorize endless refills of medications without follow-up although some are lax. Good practice is a conversation at the first prescription about the reasons for followup and what rules the practitioner has about it.
8
When I was traveling three years ago in Portugal, I went to a local eye store and had my eyes checked for prescription contact lenses (I wear glasses but in the summer I normally switch to contacts so I can wear sunglasses). I didn’t have my eyes check at my visit for glasses because my new insurance did not cover it nor the cost of contact lenses.
The office I visited didn’t have the doctor there who does contact lens fittings so someone from that office walked me to their sister office about five blocks away; they made sure someone was there who could translate what the doctor was telling and asking me while being tested. However, the takeaway was that I felt comfortable and the visit did not break my bank on unreasonable upgrades nor did 6 months worth of disposable contact lenses.
This year, when my glasses broke I decided to buy one pair of regular glasses and one prescription sunglasses from Warby Parker since my eye insurance is only good once every two years and the prices for frames are reasonable. I’m not sure I will even use my “benefits” this year since I have prescriptions that are good for two years.
2
I have bought my lenses from 1-800-Contacts for years. The same Acuvue Johnson and Johnson lenses sold to me via my opthalmologist were double the price. If eye care professionals were willing to make less of a killing on the lenses they sell, this online market would not be thriving.
23
@Marie My ophthalmologist actually encourages me to buy lenses from someone other than his office. My dermatologist gives me a list of discount providers for topicals and antibiotics I need for my rosacea, including canadadrugs.com. Maybe I've stumbled on couple of honest doctors?
6
@Marie have you ever paid attention to what your insurance company pays your eye doctor for your eye exam? Look at it next time and tell me if they're making a killing. Your local private practice cannot compete against huge conglomerates, just as local mom and pop businesses can't compete against Walmart and Amazon.
12
What's that old saying? Oh yeah, you usually get what you pay for.
16
Certainly an industry with a stronghold on its customers that needs shaking up--not unlike real estate--though admittedly optometrists provide far more actual, beneficial services than real estate agents seem to.
The reality is I wear my dollar store cheaters more often than my $400 (that's after what insurance pays) designer transition lenses from the eye doctor.
7
Is it really necessary for everyone who needs contact lenses to be examined every year?
What would be lost if people with no concerning conditions were examined only every other year?
Why should we believe that this rule is not a scam?
9
@frankly0 I don't think it's a rule just good common sense. Contacts carry a lot of debris and bacteria and it's smart to have your eyes examined at least yearly.
Also as we age our prescriptions can change. Who doesn't want to see as best as they can?
11
@Alex
Who doesn't want to see as best as they can?
The people who don't want to pay another $200 "copay" if they just saw their optometrist last year and their contacts are still working well for them
5
@Local Do you see your dentist twice a year but haven't had a cavity or any changes from last year. Same thing. Your eyes change as you age and optometrists and ophthalmologists are checking to see if the health of your eye has changed. Do you know that eye doctors also can tell if you have high blood pressure/hypertension among other health issues?, Just because you think you are seeing well doesn't mean you actually are. And if you are paying a $200 copay for a visit, then you need a better vision plan.
11
I can remember even back in the eighties how optometrists wouldn't even give patients their prescriptions for contacts because they feared they would buy them elsewhere. We will likely be reading next about the distributors of hearing aids fighting over-the-counter sales to protect their very high profits.
11
@R. Anderson Don't even get me started on the rip-off that hearing aids are.
5
The profit incentive is warping optometrists too. I have already dumped two for trying to persistently upsell me on services I didn't really need.
One spent half an hour telling me about the brand Jennifer Aniston espouses. I don't take advice from greedy optometrists or unqualified celebrities.
14
@a Jennifer Anniston is a spokesperson for dry eye treatment. Your eye doctor doesn't make a profit on Rx pharmaceuticals.
13
Contacts quality matters, I switch from Accuview dailies to Accuvies dailies total and my cornea vacillation condition according to my ophthalmologist I had a total remission. I had this condition for 20 years.
2
@Mitchel Volk, Meterlogist - Did you have another MD? What did the MD due about your cornea vacillation condition for 19 years???
4
shockingly the people who have lost revenue from this new mode object. regulations and scarcity are very profitable - just ask razor makers, mattress sellers, orthodontists................
3
Thought this next generation was sooo socially responsible .... Frankly, I find many have lax business ethics .. just because something is not illegal does not make what you're doing correct.
Have been wearing contacts for 40 years -- $1 a day is no big savings. It's about what I pay for name brand quality contacts in year. Forgoing a yearly check-up is foolish ..
I'm not in the contact business .. but I'm aware of this "verification" fraud. It all comes in after hours normal hours on Friday w/ 8 hour response times. The last thing these companies want is verification ... any response they get will stop them from selling the product.
What professional is going to sell an inferior product for a $30 yearly saving? Hubble knows this .....
15
"If an offer sounds too good to be true it probably is too good to true"
5
Optometrist here. How can Hubble say they are complying with the law when in fact they are substituting their lens for my prescription, or worse yet they just sell people their 1998 technology lens without any prescription. When someone orders from them they call your office with an inaudible message you have to repeat multiple times before you can understand it. Every single Hubble call my practice has received was for someone who was not my patient and was just putting our name in he form.
I have a specialty practice and I really don’t care where people get their conventional lenses from. I just saw a patient an hour ago who is blind in his right eye. He had not seen a regular eye doctor in years. He would buy multiple years worth of lenses, and last year he had a corneal ulcer so severe it scarred up his cornea. A scleral contact lens will hopefully restore some of his vision. Studies have shown that contact lens wearers who receive regular eyecare have lower incidence of adverse reactions. Hubbles 1998 era lenses are not cheaper than many other daily lenses.
37
@Hal
"Studies have shown that contact lens wearers who receive regular eyecare have lower incidence of adverse reactions.".....
So what 'magic' is the patient receiving during these regular eye care visits that prevents adverse reactions vs those who do not? Ah, yes, the reminder to "don't leave your contacts in over night, wash your hands first"....
Those who develop eye problems related to contacts are the idiots (like me) who sleep with their contact lenses in all the time. It happens even with expensive brand name contacts.
If the concerns of the medical industry were coming from a place of true 'concern' and not industry protectionism, then they'd be making the renewal of contacts and eye exams more convenient and less expensive to compete.
Hubble has an excellent rating with 'Consumer Affairs'. This is all hyped up fear over losing industry profits.
It's kind of like having to bring your pet in to a vet in order to get certain flea and tick prevention. Ridiculous.
3
@doc007 these lenses aren't cheaper!! That's the point. Receive a well-fit contact lens for the same money. Put a little money in your HSA and it'll be a wash. Or wear glasses. People act like contacts are a right. They're a luxury for most people, not a medical necessity.
11
As a retired ophthalmologist, I can tell you that passive verification is truly passive. I would arrive in my office on Monday morning and find several faxes or e-mails dated Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday (when the office was unattended) stating I had eight hours to verify the contact lens prescription or it would be passively verified by my failure to respond. Voila, my failure to respond allowed them to comply with the letter (but not the intent) of the law and the "prescription" was filled.
I'm sure many patients will do well with Hubble but saving a few dollars while taking the risk is not prudent. The same patients who use a service like Hubble will ignore the symptoms of con tact lens complications.
You're not buying underwear.
63
so basically, this is a company engaged in a totally legal (so far) but somewhat ethically dubious practice....
how does this differ from a slew of for profit companies in the :
dental space
medical space
financial space (financial "advisors" who are not held to a fiduciary standard)
legal space
etc etc
what hubble is doing is legal.
its also somewhat shady.
to fix it, you need to make what they do illegal.
21
We have a serious problem in this country with corporations abusing the public, workers, government, and the tax system. We are seeing example after example in the news: the opioid crisis, Juul, Wall Street and the Great Recession, Facebook, and many more. Now Tesla wants to put fully autonomous vehicles on the road and there is apparently no regulatory structure to slow them down and hold them accountable. It's time to turn the tables and make corporations accountable and make them pay a fair share of taxes. I have no idea if Elizabeth Warren is "electable" but she is the only candidate I currently trust to tackle out-of-control American capitalism.
37
@Thomas - Huh? What that any of that have to do with this article?
5
"Electable" seems manufactured by patriarchy. Let's stop using it to talk about women candidates.
6
What gets me is that the lenses aren't significantly cheaper. $1 a day is 365 a year. I got a year's supply of probably higher quality lenses from an eye doctor for 400 after the rebate, and if you add in the two week's free samples and the fact that I tried on several pairs before the one that fit, then is the 20 bucks really worth the gamble?
120
@David Weintraub, Some people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
23
@David Weintraub
Was going to say, I think my contacts which I get lazy and just order from LensCrafters after a eye exam (instead of some shopping around); are $375. $50 Rebate and free pair I usually get after a exam - makes this Hubble seem not much of a deal at all.
I guess maybe the idea is you can skip your annual eye exam is where the real savings come from. Which for some might be fine but others will develop some serious issues all to save a few bucks.
10
I am recently losing my close up focus (in the last five years, being 63 or four years old), so I found a great place to buy reading glasses for 299, that’s $2.99, and I bought a pair of, five actually, bifocals with clear long focus, So these work as… Guess what, safety glasses..... too, So that I can protect my right eye that has not been hit with grinding metal and stuff that I do daily data if I remember to put them on beforehand !
4
Such a critical evaluation of the Hubble model, but no such evaluation of the entrenched status quo. Yes the Hubble model fails some consumers. The status quo model does the same (see consumers who forgo timely care, prolong existing lens supplies, etc). Consumers do not like the status quo because of the cost, the time burden, the lack of transparency (optometrists, manufacturers, sellers all protecting each other's interests to the detriment of consumers). Consumers are taking a more active role in their care - a predictable outcome of skyrocketing health care costs. Of course there are risks, just as there are risks when the consumer takes a less active role and acts without regard for the cost of care.
I for one welcome consumer choice. As with all things, caveat emptor.
15
@Andy Deckman. Agreed about consumer choice. Disappointing that the choices are still bad. Produce inferior products overseas and sell for (maybe) less? How innovative. Surely, if the entrenched status quo is sorely in need of a shake-up, such brilliant minds can do better than this.
6
I guess contact lenses are a bit more complicated than razors. Who'd have known?
47
“...criticized by numerous optometrists and ophthalmologists....”
Oh gee what a surprise! They’ll criticize anything that gives you a break from buying their overpriced lenses.
11
@JAF My ophthalmologist doesn't sell lenses or glasses. If you don't trust yours, I suggest you find another who doesn't sell them.
18
@JAF
It takes a lot of training to become an optometrist or ophthalmologist, and we are assessing a great deal of information during the course of our examination to evaluate the health of both your eyes and body. I have lost track of the number of serious and sometimes sight-threatening or life-threatening health issues I have discovered during the course of what a patient might expect to be a "routine" eye exam. As for the cost of the lenses, the markup we charge helps ensure that our offices are open next week, next month, next year or when you need us in the middle of the night during a medical emergency. Medical offices are businesses too, and we need sufficient revenue to remain open so that we can fulfill our mission of taking care of you.
22
@JAF do the math. They aren't cheaper. If skipping the eye exam is the goal, then people will complain about everything. Dental visits, oil changes, med checks at their PCP, colonoscopies.
9
I know nothing about contact lens except as a person who wears them but I do know that my prescription hasn't changed in 30 years but I am still required to pay through the nose (or my insurance does) to make sure they fit every other year to get a new script. So I understand why people would think Hubble is great. But nothing is less surprising than that Hubble "takes advantage of federal regulations to the detriment of consumers".
I'm also incensed that they would use Hubble as a name. So appallingly tacky and not the great pun that they think it is!
10
@MomT I've been using the same brand of contacts since 1998, and the same prescription since 2009. Every year, my doctor refuses to authorize a refill of my lenses unless I visit them for another appointment-- taking time off work, waiting in the waiting room for at least 45 minutes, and spending 7 minutes or less telling them in person that my eyes haven't changed.
I haven't used Hubble, but honestly-- I can see why people would use the,/
7
@Lizbeth
If a doctor does not see a patient and evaluate them before prescribing anything only available by prescription.. they are in violation of the law, are violating ethical standards of medical care, and are subject to liability claims and could lose their ability to buy malpractice insurance.
If you were in their shoes.. you would do the same thing... require you visit for an evaluation and diagnosis prior to prescription.
It's no different then prescribing drugs. For example.. I have been on the same medications for years now.. same dosage too.. but each year I have to have my doctor write a new prescription and that requires an office visit.
If you want prescription free contact lenses.. your issue is with the FDA and the doctor.
10
@MomT My optometrist does not require me to be examined every 12 months.
My high quality contacts cost only a little more than Hubble's do and I'm confidant that I am in good hands health-wise.
I can understand why many people would try Hubble and I hope it works out for them.
But it seems that in their attempt to democratize the playing field that is Healthcare, this company is strengthening the divide between the haves and the have nots. Those who can have good healthcare and those who cannot.
4
Here’s a question for all of the purveyors of righteous indignation so typical of today’s one-sided “Let’s get mad at everyone” media coverage. Where are the success stories, because surely there are others besides me. After growing weary of the considerable markup my ophthalmologist tacked on to my contact purchases over 15 years ago, I began purchasing my lenses from an online seller. (Many of these companies besides Hubble also use very lax doctor approval for prescriptions.) These companies started using deceptive pricing techniques by quoting lens cost but hiding their enormous shipping and handling fees. It was around this time that I heard of Hubble. I asked my ophthalmologist about the brand and he said he’d never heard of them and preferred if I stayed away. I told him of my issues with other online sellers who offered the brand I’d long used and suggested that I order the free month and return so that he could examine the fit and quality. Since he gave the lenses the OK, I’ve been wearing them for over 2 years, and always take a pair with me for my annual examination, and all seems well. For me, the lenses have been more comfortable, easier to handle, easier to determine correct side and cheaper than big pharma lenses. Taking personal responsibility for our health care rather than leaving it up to chance is the solution to this problem, not accusing disrupters of medical doomsday. One-sided reporting like is degrading the quality of journalism even at the Times.
13
@I Dispute The Horror
But contact lenses are more dangerous than you know. It might be fine for you, or you might not know until a year has gone by, or two years, or until you accidentally leave them in too long. Anecdata on either side is not acceptable, and with medical devices, the burden of proof should be high, on the side of caution.
13
@mjw
And how sure are we that the major brands are free from concern? Any time we chose to wear contacts from any brand or have delicate lasik surgery, often performed by questionable practitioners, we take a risk of having eye issues. You seemed to miss the point, as does this article, that the best any of us can do is be informed, check with our knowledgeable doctors for advice and have our eyes checked regularly, which I do and have been problem-free for over 2 years using the brand scandalized by this article, which offers only one side and no practical advice.
8
@I Dispute The Horror
Your success as a patient =/= success for every patient.
Given that Hubble is not using the most current contact lense technology.. it is reasonable to assume that for some patients Hubble contact lenses may cause issues or complications for some patients.
There is a reason that contact lens design continues to evolve.. and it's the same reason that prescription medications continue to evolve... to provide better levels of prescribed care and outcomes.
Besides.. consumers who shop wisely and carefully are not typically paying much more per year for state of the art contact lenses when compared to Hubbles pricing for older generation lenses. Optometry and the glasses and contact lenses they prescribe is a pretty competitive market already.... especially with reputable suppliers of lenses like Costco, etc.. who sell state of the art lenses at low markup prices to anyone who brings in a prescription from a licensed optometrist or OD.
5
I'm an optometrist. I always ask my patients who wear contact lenses how they are working for them, including asking whether the cost of the lenses is causing them to wear them past the time they should be disposed of or not wear them as often because they are too expensive. New York is financially hard. I want you to be able to pay your rent and wear your lenses safely. Please, let me know how I can help, whether the issue is cost or comfort.
And, if you are every having problem with your eyes, please, come see me. I'm not going to be mad at you if you have an eye infection because you bought a lens online. I'm going to be angry at the system that failed to protect your vision.
102
Optical care is a good subject for the Times, but not in such a focused way.
What's missing here:
If everyone is so concerned with health and vision, why aren't glasses covered under health insurance policies (for the most part)?
Why are all corrective lenses (both contacts and glasses) so expensive? Isn't this industry the same as the pharmaceutical industry that no one can abide?
I don't know that Hubble is good or responsible. They may well be negligent in their practices. But the idea of providing contact lenses (or glasses) for something less than the hundreds and thousands of dollars now charged by a closed industry working closely with professionals is a good one. It's unlikely that it can't be done honestly and competently.
35
@Randall You make an excellent point. With so many jobs requiring people to constantly look at screens, you would think companies would have a vested interest in making sure their employees can see. I have had poor vision coverage in the past and skimped on replacing glasses because of the cost I wear bifocals, which are much more expensive, yet mo coverage was limited to $125. Try finding bifocals for that. After a while, the headaches and eye strain weren't worth it. I am very fortunate and grateful that my current employer offers generous eye coverage to get me the glasses and contacts I need in order to do my job. It should be the same for others, too.
15
@Randall
The actuarials (I've known a few) will tell you that insurance is supposed to apply when there is risk. After the first diagnosis of a permanent eye condition (ie shortsighted) then there is no risk, there is only math.
We except our health insurance in this country either to be a price club for the deserving or socialism, insurance in the classic sense is neither. Eye care products are a perfect example of that issue, and the issues with capitalistic health care in general. No one is going to get rich with eye care unless they cut corners.
9
@Randall
Dental and eyecare ARE covered under medical insurance policies by many employers .. it's just that it is a separate policy from your main healthcare policy.
3
This is why regulations matter.
40
My optometrist charges $105 for 3mos of daily wear lenses. I only pay half as I only use them in one eye. I have to wear a special hard sclera lens in the other. It is the only lens that works to correct for a botched Lasik surgery on that eye. Stick with your optometrist/ophthalmologist for your eyecare. They have actually received medical training, not a business school degree. And don't have elective surgery unless you are willing to give up use of a body part. In my case I had a 9.5 diopter prescription and wanted to see while swimming. It was years ago and now they don't perform lasik on high diopter patients. Fortunately I see perfectly with my other eye, which with age is now down to a 5.5, but of course I have to use readers.
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@Ann Grant
Nothing says you have to buy your lenses from the doctor that provided your exam and prescription.
The question at discussion here is what brand and design of contact lense is best for a particular patients ongoing eyecare... not who sells them and for how much. I buy my contact lenses from Costco and they are much less expensive the rates quoted by my eye doctor...and my eye doctor understands this and is fine with me buying them through Costco.
4
"American Optometric Association, say this is another example of Hubble putting profits before patients." Who are they kidding? It's always about the profits (for the optometrists, for the other suppliers of contacts, etc.). Eye care and hearing loss are huge money makers. Progressive lenses should not have to cost $600 and hearing aids do not need to cost $5,000. There is certainly room for more competition in these markets, but they need to be held to strict, definable quality specifications.
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And investment bank owned contact lens companies who flout the law are looking out for your best interest. Do you know that vision plans from Aetna have paid Optometrists 40 dollars for eye exams for over twenty years with no increase. selling contacts is the difference of staying in business or not. We don’t have 72 million dollars in investment money to lose. In our office we sell all contacts equal or less then 1800 contacts which is also I bank owned. Both of us sell daily contacts that are cheaper then Hubble and far better quality within the rules of the FDA.
31
This is why we need Elizabeth Warren. Capitalism unchecked is criminal kleptocracy inc.
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It is unbelievable that people are "uberizing" their eye care. You can get daily, high quality, disposable contacts for much cheaper than their subscription.
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@Concerned Citizen
Indeed.
Problem here is consumers who care more about the price of something rather then the efficacy of treatment.
3
@Concerned Citizen - I pay $70 for two boxes of daily disposables, and because I wear each lens for at least two weeks (taking it out at night), that's a little more than a year's supply. They are a well-known name brand and I've never had an issue.
Hubble is using cut-rate materials AND at the same time setting up a model which has people using (and paying for) far more lenses than they actually need.
6
Why anyone would buy something off the internet and stick it in their eye is beyond me.
84
That red eye is terrifying. Hubble sounds as though it could be another Theranos.
10
I am an example of good vs bad eye lense prescriptions.
My lenses from Walmart were done shoddily
My lenses done by my optician for 35 years have always been done perfectly.
Walmart could never make my new lenses today.
But my local optician was able to work with a neuro optometrist and neuro ophthalmologist to create a pair of Bilateral prism glasses for me to see now! Even though I have a tumor around my 6 th cranial nerve causing double and distorted vision.
You cannot get these prescriptions from a mail order gig economy of optometrists.
The slightest mistake in lenses is a detriment to your brain signals to your optic nerves. Your vision will be altered improperly. Not healthy at all.
You shouldn’t do “ cheap” for lenses.
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@nurseJacki@
You sound like you have a "one in a million" condition that requires significant customization. The business model of these online shops is to service generic products to the masses. Most people prioritize cost above other criteria in purchase decisions, and eyewear appears to be no different.
10
I would never buy contact lenses via a company. The fact is that these medical devices (they are, in fact, prosthetics of sorts) have to be made so that they are a perfect fit for the recipient's eyes. Whenever I had to have mine renewed, exact measurements were made, curvature of cornea, distance between eyes, eye movements, additional factors... The result? I got lenses which I could use for up to six or seven years.
Sure, they were pricier, but I prefer to shell out the normal price rather than to risk eye damage due to incorrectly-adjusted lenses.
14
@CMD The recommended maximum lifespan for a set of hard contact lenses is two years, not seven.
I've been wearing contact lenses every day for 55 years and have never had a medical problem; I visit my optometrist once or twice a year and when he says it's time to get new ones because mine are scratched or warped, I do so. That's usually every one or two years.
4
A good example of you get what you pay for...why damage your eyes (you only get two per lifetime) to save a few dollars. Here's where the FDA needs to step in. If only we still had an FDA. Gone along with every other regulatory body.
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You don’t need the FDA to tell you your eyes hurt and to stop being so cheap. Sometimes you get what you pay for. My eye doctor hates that I spend 250 at Costco for glasses rather than 700 at his place (I would never wear contacts).
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@Rich Murphy imagine you sold a product or service for a living. You own your own business. World you "hate it", if your small business was expected to be able to compete with Amazon? Would you be greedy if you had to charge more than Walmart?
2
Excellent article
I’m a long time, licensed optician in California that works in a independent optical practice.
Most people forget or take for granted that contact lenses are medical devices, which is why, in this country, you need a prescription for them. The prescription you are given is a legal document that instructs the person filling the prescription the details of your “fit” and vision. Hubble are engaging in the age-old “fast and loose”, They offer one fit only, regardless of prescription details. A good analogy would be your shoes: you wear a size 10, but the shoes only come in an 8; are you really going to wear those shoes and how long will they be comfortable? A lens too tight or too loose cause corneal abrasion that could damage eyes permanently.
It is sad that in this day of information that people value their healthcare providers less, thinking that they can cut corners and self prescribe. The education and training that Doctors and Opticians display is long, intensive and skilled. Not something to be dismissed as “expensive” and “unnecessary”. For those who think we’re getting rich off selling you your lenses: The lenses themselves have next to a zero margin, with everyone undercutting each other and manufacturers pricing for wholesale sales at Costco or 1-800 Contacts.
We provide real care to folks, despite their desire to keep costs down and see how cheaply they can get their lenses.
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@Suzanne
It is 'sad' that consumers are seeking affordable care? Maybe for some it's penny-wise-pound-foolish frugality, but for many others it is an absolute necessity and the difference between affording food/housing/etc. You may be highly educated, but also highly out of touch.
9
@Suzanne You may not be getting rich from selling lenses but doctors are definitely squeezing as much money as they can by charging for as many annual tests as possible from people who simply want to refill their prescriptions.
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@Andy Deckman
if contact lenses do not fit in your budget.. you should be going with regular glasses. Period.
But I think we both know you are simply making up pretense here and distorting what Susanne actually wrote here.
8
Very antecdotal.
Giving specific examples may add color to the story and be illustrative but does not prove one lens is inferior to another.
1. How many complaints/complications from wearers of other lenses?
2. What type of observations do optometrists make that cause the more expensive lens better for a specific patient.
3. What are the financial details of the more expensive lens? Why are they more expensive? Exactly how much do optometrists make off of lens sales?
24
I will answer number two for you. You have lupus or another rheumatoid disease and very dry eyes. I recommend a contacts lens based on those reasons. Then someone else changes them and you have a problem. Pretty simple. These scenarios play out thousands of times a day across the US.
11
@Mdb288 The optometrist typically writes a prescription. I use it to buy my lenses from whatever company I want, so my eye doctor makes nothing off that purchase.
5
@JBC and you can because it is the law. However Hubble changes your brand to theirs and that is not an equivalent product.
6
Tried contacts many years ago. Didn't like them. Had Lasik done in 2000. No problems since then.
1
When the Hubble product first came out I learned that it was manufactured overseas while my current brand was Made in USA. To me that was a good reason to stick with my current brand. Turns out there may have been an even better reason not to switch. Thanks for this report.
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@Paul
Source of manufacture is not the real concern here though. yeah yeah.. "buy american!" I get it.. but sometimes foreign products remain superior.
The real concern here is that what Hubble sells is old generation technology and not subject to custom fit adherence for all patients. Some patients will do fine with "stock lenses" others will require the more modern and refined designs that provide better comfort and fewer side effects from wearing.
5
So those 2 cute nerdy guys in the ads are just raw opportunists? Really? I am SHOCKED.
42
@Matthew No they sell contacts because they care about you. They care enough to change your brand of contacts to theirs even if ti is harmful to your eyes. They care enough to put obstacles to you cancelling your subscription. And they care about you enough to tell you that they are saving you money when you can buy contacts from major contact lens manufacturers who spend millions on research and development actually for less. Anything to get another round of investment money,
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@Adameyeball
They are not medical eye professionals. That puts their effort at a clinical disadvantage to the doctor patient relationship.
I'm not saying they are evil or unethical.. simply uninformed of the consequences of what they are providing... while largely excluding the doctors from the final outcome of lens purchase.
3
I'm an Optometrist in New York and quite frankly Hubble does not play within the law and many patients have gotten these contacts without any verification. They have decided to go the Uber playbook and play by their rules and deal with the consequences after. Problem is contact lenses are medical devices and not a pair of socks you buy online. Ask yourself does this small company have the money to face litigation when someone has a catastrophic event. Also keep in mind just like a pharmacy cannot change your antibiotics without approval nor are contact lens sellers.
Hubble contacts are just generic contacts that are private label be a company called St Shire out of Taiwan. Contacts have a oxygen transmission rating called DK and Hubble is at 18 the lowest of any daily contact lens. Their price according to their website is 432 dollars a year. I am here to tell you that it is a false narrative they want to save you money as you can buy much higher Dk and better quality contacts for less then this from your eye doctor who is a professional and insured after rebates.
Patients by law are allowed to buy their contact lenses from outside of their eye doctors office if they choose so. I suggest buy from authorized resellers and not vendors who sell grey market lenses which are pervasive in the US.
Lastly Hubble is owned by investment banks. Do you think that eye health is valued more by them or an eye care professional?
186
I tried the Hubble lenses. 1) They are uncomfortable 2) They are expensive 3) It's difficult to cancel the subscription. Subscribers must call them during their call hours to cancel.
I ran back to 1-800-Contacts. 1-800-Contacts price matches. I ended up saving almost 50% when I spent minimal time comparison shopping on Google. 1-800-Contacts are very pleasant and helpful over the phone while price matching.
46
@S I wish I could use one of these online purveyors. My eye doctor sells glasses and contacts, so he refuses to confirm my prescription and doesn't give me a copy. This is illegal in CA but although I have reported him, nothing happens.
I really need to find a new eye doctor.
10
A few people make money from disrupting the norm and now apparently with no regard to care or health. How many will be damaged for life? All so a few can make billions. Shameful.
58
Contacts are very expensive to buy— one of many reasons I mainly wear glasses today. While my insurance covers a new pair of glasses each year, only a fraction of yearly contacts purchases are covered in the same plans, and assuming one’s prescription is changing, they will also need new glasses anyway. I find that insurance companies could do better in covering eye health and the assistive devices many of us need to see each day.
9
@Emily, Maybe disposable contacts are but Hard contact lens which provide sharper vision can last for years and cost $300 tops from an actual Optometrist.
11
You only have one pair of eyes. Treat them with care or buyer beware.
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@Gazbo Fernandez Yup. Back as an undergrad, I did research on how the brain controls the eyes. 90%+ of your ability to sense what is going in comes from vision for most people. Don't ruin your eyes. At the time, LASIK was just coming into vogue. I asked my senior colleagues if I should get it and they all said NO. Later, LASIK and other types of eye surgery were found to be problematic for a significant number of people.
14
@ms - Sadly, this post represents one of the major problems with the internet, that anyone can post anything w/o having to support whatever it is they are posting..
In this instance, posting that "Later, LASIK and other types of eye surgery were found to be problematic for a significant number of people" is patently false.
In a story on WebMD, for example, it is stated that 96-98% of Lasik surgeries are successful. 2-4% is HARDLY significant in terms of problems. And further, remember that this 2-4% does not mean total failure.
3