Essilor, a France-based leader in prescription lenses, has launched Essilor Stellest lens in India, to combat myopia progression in children and help protect their vision for the future.

The Essilor Stellest lens, priced at Rs 16,500, has been designed with an exclusive technology called H.A.L.T. technology (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) by Essilor’s research and development teams.

The H.A.L.T. technology consists of a constellation of 1021 aspherical lenslets spread on 11 rings, enabling the Essilor Stellest lens to correct myopia and sharpen far vision through a single vision zone while slowing down myopia progression.

The technology is a culmination of more than 30 years of academic studies, product design, rigorous research efforts in collaboration with the top research institutes and myopia experts.

In a recent study, it was observed that myopia prevalence in the age group of 5 -15 years has grown from 4.4% in 1999 to 21.9% in 2019, and which is now observed to be at almost 25%. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in children spending fewer hours outdoors and more time (approximately 6 -7 hours) indoors - these factors have had an impact on the vision of many children.

Ophthalmologists and eye care professionals across the country are witnessing an increasingly larger number of children walking into their practice with either higher levels of myopia when tested for the first time or with increasing margins in their existing prescriptions. Studies show that any level of myopia may increase the risk of ocular conditions, but the risk increases exponentially once reaching high myopia.

Failure to manage myopic progression significantly impacts a child’s productivity due to an increased risk of ophthalmic conditions such as Myopic Maculopathy, Retinal Detachment, Open Angle Glaucoma and Visual Impairment.

The clinical trial results show that the Essilor Stellest lens slowed down myopia progression by 67% on average, compared to single vision lenses, when worn 12 hours a day.