Table of Contents
First and foremost, let me be clear, this is NOT our normal contact lens review. In fact, no one on our team even fits Hubble Contacts (and I’ll explain why in this article). However, since we pride ourselves on providing you with accurate and transparent information, I decided to research, order, and review Hubble Contacts. Below is a complete review of what you need to know about Hubble Contacts, including the pros and cons of wearing these lenses.
Note: If you want to see how Hubble stacks up against other subscription contacts (i.e. Aveo, Sight Supply, and Waldo) watch the video below.
Introducing Hubble (the contacts, not the telescope)
To start, Hubble Contacts first became available to the US market in late 2016. Inspired by the subscription-based business model of Harry’s shaving company, Hubble launched with a vision of disrupting the contact lens marketplace. Since their launch, they have raised multiple rounds of funding and are now serving customers in Canada (2017), the UK (2018), and beyond.
Shipped to your door in fancy packaging, what most people don’t know is that the lens material these contacts are made of (methafilcon A) was developed over 20 years ago! Which raises the question, would you purchase a car, cell phone, or just about anything with 1990s technology? Probably not.
RELATED: These Are the Best Contact Lenses Currently Available
Oxygen permeability (i.e. breathability) comparison
Another thing to consider is that the oxygen permeability (i.e. Dk) of Hubble Contacts is 21. This is extraordinarily low compared to the newest contact lenses available.
Put in laymen’s terms, the Dk of a lens is the amount of oxygen that can pass through the lens to the front of your eye (i.e. the cornea). The higher this number is, the better. And just like the rest of your body, your cornea needs oxygen for proper functioning.
For comparison purposes, Hubble, Acuvue Oasys 1-Day with HydraLuxe, MyDay, and Dailies Total1 were all launched in the US within the last 5 years. Their respective release years and Dk values are as follows:
| Contact lens | Year of US market release | Oxygen permeability (Dk) |
|---|---|---|
| HUBBLE® | 2016 | 21 |
| ACUVUE OASYS® 1-Day with HydraLuxe™ | 2015 | 103 |
| MyDay® | 2015 | 80 |
| DAILIES TOTAL1® | 2013 | 140 |
Looking at the chart above, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Hubble Contacts were the most recently released product yet they have the lowest Dk value. Also, it’s probably no surprise that with an increase in breathability comes superior comfort and vision.
Misleading marketing?
To be fair, there is a cost difference between these lenses and Hubble. The reason being, of the 4 lenses launched over this 5 year time period, only Hubble is manufactured with significantly outdated material. And, just like anything, innovative products take time, energy, and money to develop.
On their website, Hubble makes the statement, “Hubble is a new brand of contact lenses.” While true, what they aren’t being transparent about is that their new brand comes with a very old, outdated material.
RELATED: Biotrue ONEday Review
Powers, availability and more
Hubble Contacts are available in powers ranging from -12 to +8. Therefore, they’re designed to fit a large range of contact lens wearers. Also, Hubble has built-in UV protection (80% UVA and 95% UVB) and a light blue visibility tint for handling purposes.
On their website, Hubble advertises that your first box is free! Of course, this is after the company verifies your prescription with your doctor’s office (or so they say).
Also, as noted in the name, these contacts are designed for daily wear and should be thrown away at the end of the day. Therefore, Hubble Contacts are NOT approved to be slept in!
Note: If you plan on taking your daily contact lenses out for a nap or to go swimming, we recommend storing them in Biotrue, RevitaLens, or Opti-free Pure Moist contact lens solutions.
Are Hubble Contacts right for you?
Pros
- Inexpensive (for a daily contact lens)
- Delivered to your door through an adjustable subscription service
- Designed with recyclable packaging
Cons
- Made from a significantly outdated lens material that can cause complications (i.e. dryness, infections, etc.)
- Not available in a toric or multifocal lens
- Questionable company ethics and concern for consumer eye health (see more below)
How much do Hubble Contacts cost?
One thing the team at Hubble really prides themselves on is their cost to the consumer. In fact, the first thing you see when you go to their homepage is a statement that says, “The more affordable daily contact lens.”
As a result, a month supply of lenses for both eyes is $33 (plus tax). This breaks down to $30 for 60 contact lenses (or $0.50 a lens) and $3 for shipping and handling. Another way of looking at this is that Hubble Contacts are $49.50 for a 90 lens supply for one eye ($90 if you want to run the math on both eyes).
When compared to older contacts, designed with similar (outdated) lens materials, Hubble Contacts are around the same price (and, in some cases, even more expensive).
My personal experience
Truth be told, I first ran across Hubble Contacts on Facebook and Instagram. In fact, according to their interview with Forbes, 95% of their ad dollars have been used on these social platforms. After repeatedly seeing their ads, I decided to investigate the lens further and requested my free box.
As soon as I clicked on their ad to “learn more”, I immediately noticed how clean, user-friendly, and well designed their website was. After entering in my prescription, I was prompted to input my doctor’s information. Since I’m a practicing optometrist, I typed in my information and was immediately congratulated on two free weeks of contacts. Of course, I was also informed that my prescription would first be verified by my eye doctor.
RELATED: Dailies AquaComfort Plus Review
Where things got interesting
As soon as I made the order, I informed my office staff to let me know when they received a call from Hubble to verify my prescription. To my surprise, a few days went by and we never received a call. A week or so later, still no call. This is despite the fact that I was promised at checkout my prescription would be verified. Not to mention, Hubble has this disclaimer printed at the top center of their professional fitting guide:
CAUTION: FEDERAL (USA) LAW RESTRICTS THIS DEVICE TO SALE BY OR ON THE ORDER OF A LICENSED PRACTITIONER.
Without being verified, one week went by and my free trial of Hubble Contacts arrived in the mail. The packaging was fun and aesthetically pleasing while the instructions booklet contained cute, colorful graphics with user-friendly information.
The next morning, I had no trouble putting them in and actually found them quite comfortable…for the first few hours. However, it was right around lunchtime when I noticed my eyes started to feel extremely irritated and gritty. An hour or two more went by and I came to the conclusion that these contacts were simply not comfortable. As a result, I took them out and never looked back.
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Canceling my Hubble subscription
A few weeks went by and I received another package in the mail from Hubble. This time it was a 30-day supply and it dawned on me that I forgot to cancel my subscription! Uninterested in the contacts, I still opened the shipping box (because who doesn’t like opening mail).
Upon logging into my Hubble account, I discovered I could only cancel my subscription by calling them at 844-334-1640. The cancelation process was easy but returning my unopened boxes was another story. To my surprise, since I had opened the shipping box, I was advised I could not return the lenses.
Turns out Hubble does not seal their contact lens boxes on both ends. Therefore, to prevent tampering of the product, they only allow you to return unopened shipping boxes (for a $5.00 restocking fee plus shipping and handling costs).
Note: Standard practice for most contact lens retailers is that you can return unopened contact lens boxes within a specific time period.
Two things that concern me about Hubble
First, Hubble took an old, outdated lens material and is branding it as a cool, new product. In fact, they even display on their website, “Nothing is more important to us than the quality and comfort of our contacts.” Yet, when you research what they’re actually selling, there is nothing quality (or innovative) about it.
If the company really cared about your eyes, why didn’t they take the time to develop a product that aligns with today’s standards and technology?
Second, my prescription was never verified (yet I still was mailed Hubble Contacts). After doing some research, I discovered I’m not the only person this has happened to (as you can see here and here).
This is also why I don’t know any eye doctors that fit this lens. From an eye health and safety perspective, the gross negligence that occurred here could be devastating!
RELATED: 1-Day Acuvue Moist Review
Final thoughts
Overall, kudos to the Hubble cofounders (one of which used to work at Harry’s). They took an old material and built a branded behind a fun name and sexy marketing campaign. But, unlike razors, contact lenses are medical devices. It’s only a matter of time until the people that try Hubble Contacts discover the company’s marketing out does their product
Truth be told, I’m all for innovative disruption when it comes to improving products and services. In fact, I’m a Harry’s subscriber and ordered my last mattress through Leesa. Therefore, if you’re looking for a subscription-based contact lens service, I highly recommend you check out Sightbox. They book your eye exam for you and support all major contact lens brands.
The reality is, you often get what you pay for! Unfortunately, these contacts are not the bargain they’re cracked up to be. If you’re looking at evaluating your contact lens options, I highly recommend scheduling an appointment with your neighborhood eye doctor. They’ll take into account your visual demands and fit you with contacts that support you and your lifestyle!
Hubble Contacts overview
| Year of US market release | 2016 |
| Base curve (i.e. curvature of the contact lens) | 8.6 |
| Diameter (i.e. width of the contact lens) | 14.2 |
| Powers | +6.00D to -6.00D (in 0.25D steps) -6.00D to -12.00D (in 0.50D steps) |
| Handling tint | Light blue |
| Material | Methafilcon A (hydrogel) |
| Water content | 55% |
| Dk (i.e. oxygen permeability) | 21.4 |
| Center thickness | 0.10 mm @ -3.00 |
| Wear type | Daily wear |
| Replacement schedule | Daily (i.e. throw away at the end of the day) |
| Trials | 15 pairs when you first subscribe online |
| Available for purchase | 30 packs |
| Approved to be slept in? | No |
| Inside out markings? | No |
| Rebate available? | No |
| Recyclable? | Yes |
| UV protection? | Yes (80% UVA and 95% UVB) |
Hubble Contacts Review
Overall
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Cost
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Comfort
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Health & Safety
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Vision
Summary
Hubble is a subscription contact lens service supported by a fancy marketing campaign. Designed with a 1990’s lens material, I recommend you consider alternative options before subscribing to this daily contact lens.
Pros
- Inexpensive (for a daily contact lens)
- Delivered to your door through an adjustable subscription service
- Designed with recyclable packaging
Cons
- Made from a significantly outdated lens material that can cause complications (i.e. dryness, infections, etc.)
- Not available in a toric or multifocal lens
- Questionable company ethics and concern for consumer eye health
References:
Professional viewpoint of Hubble---I'm not impressed.
I agree with Dr Corte. I work for an optometrist and I recently received a phone verification from some company identifying themselves as “Vision Path”. A live rep initiates the call and very rapidly explains that there will be a recording that will play to verify a contact prescription and quickly asks if I will accept the call. I said yes. Then the recording is so quick to relate the information that if you are unprepared for the rapid onslaught of info, you miss pertinent information and callback phone numbers. Only after some investigation did we find out that it was actually the company for Hubble contacts! A few wrong internet provided phone numbers later did I finally get them back on the phone because the person they were verifying a prescription for had not yet been fitted and finalized with a contact lens prescription! We were still in the process of ordering the trials to fit the patient with! Not to mention the fact that they don’t verify brand name contacts because they use their own lens material. So even if they call to verify a prescription, it will be incorrect because that material is not what the doctor prescribed for that patient. The patient will have been fitted with newer lens materials and not something outdated. I can honestly say I am NOT a fan of how they do business!
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (5) No
Thank you for your feedback! What you experienced is unfortunate and, ultimately, impacts the patient. Hopefully consumers take note and stick with what their doctor prescribes!
Very informative and helpful details, thank you for writing this post!!
Great details with data to back it up, appreciate the time you took to put this post together!
Did you find this review helpful? Yes (2) No
Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you found value in this review!
Another Competitor to Consider
Another competitor to consider is Optikal. They provide a full contact care kit along with brand name contacts and you can pay on a monthly basis. They even cover the eye exam and roll it into monthly payments.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes No
Thanks for pointing them out, Sue. I’ve heard of them but they haven’t made as much noise on social media as Hubble Contacts has. Maybe it’s soon to come?