With the increasing prevalence of myopia, there is a critical need for effective interventions to slow its progression. Essilor Stellest Lens is a cutting-edge solution designed to address myopia issues. Utilizing innovative Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target (H.A.L.T.) technology, the Essilor Stellest Lens has demonstrated significant efficacy in controlling myopia progression. This article delves into the features, mechanisms, and clinical efficacy of the Essilor Stellest lens, highlighting its potential to reshape myopia management.
Myopia is a chronic condition and severe myopia may increase the risk of developing eye diseases.
Myopia is a chronic condition, and it’s important to understand that no level of myopia is considered safe. High myopia can increase the risk of developing eye conditions later in life – including myopic macular degeneration, retinal detachment, posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC), and glaucoma – which can lead to vision impairment and blindness.
A myopia level of -8.00 D can lead to a 10-fold higher risk of vision impairment compared to a myopia level of -4.00 D.
Scientists predict that by 2050, 50% of the population will be myopic, and this figure may be even worse due to the 3-year impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why is it important to control myopia?
Controlling myopia is crucial because reducing it by just 1 diopter can provide significant benefits:
- It can lower the risk of developing myopic macular degeneration by 40%
- It can decrease the risk of retinal detachment by 23%
- It can reduce the chance of getting glaucoma by 16%
- It can lead to a decrease in the risk of vision loss by 19-24%
In other words, even small improvements in myopia levels can dramatically reduce the likelihood of developing serious, vision-threatening eye conditions later in life.
Factors that can influence the progression of myopia
- Asian ethnicities, especially those from Southeast Asia and South Asia, have the highest risk of increasing myopia levels.
- Age of myopia onset: The earlier myopia develops, the faster the myopia progression risk.
- Gender: Girls have a higher risk of increasing myopia levels compared to boys.
- Family history: Parents with myopia increase the child’s risk of developing myopia.
- Lifestyle habits: Prolonged use of electronic devices or near-work activities, along with less time spent outdoors.
- Binocular vision disorders: Intermittent strabismus/tropia – high AC/A ratio, high accommodative lag, and non-constant exophoria/tropia.
The current myopia control methods have been proven by scientists:
- Contact lens (Ortho-K, Misight, Multifocal CL)
- Atropine eye drops
In addition, changes in lifestyle and daily habits can also bring effective results in reducing visual impairment.
Essilor Stellest Lenses- Innovative Design and Technology
The Essilor® Stellest™ lens is the latest generation of eyeglass lenses from Essilor, designed to help control the progression of myopia and abnormal eye elongation, while also correcting the refractive error in myopic children.
The Essilor Stellest lens has a single vision zone and a myopia control zone made using the H.A.L.T. technology, which consists of 11 concentric rings of 1,021 contiguous aspherical lenslets, each with a diameter of 1.12mm. These lenslets are arranged around a central clear zone of 9mm, providing a dual function: correction and control. The central zone corrects vision similar to traditional single vision lenses, while the surrounding rings create a ‘volume of myopic defocus’ (VoMD). This VoMD is designed to provide a slowdown signal for eye growth by projecting light in front of the retina, which helps in reducing the rate of myopia progression.
The concept of myopic defocus as a means to control eye growth is well-established. Traditional myopia control lenses and contact lenses typically use a single focal point to create myopic defocus. However, Essilor® Stellest™ lenses takes this a step further by generating a VoMD. Unlike single focal point defocus, VoMD spreads light in a manner that creates multiple defocus signals. This spread of defocused light is theorised to be more effective in signaling the eye to slow down its axial growth, which is a critical factor in myopia progression.
The Essilor Stellest lens slows down the average myopia progression by 67%, compared to single vision lenses, when worn for 12 hours or more per day.
After the first year, the eye growth in 9 out of 10 children wearing the Essilor Stellest lens was either comparable or slower than non-myopic children.
Furthermore, 2 out of 3 children wearing the Essilor Stellest lens had stable refractive error after the first year.
Research and Result
The efficacy of Essilor Stellest lenses has been substantiated through rigorous clinical trials. In a two-year randomised control trial, children aged 8-13 years who wore Essilor Stellest lenses showed remarkable results compared to those wearing single vision spectacles. Children who wore the Essilor Stellest lenses for at least 12 hours per day exhibited a reduction in axial length by 0.41mm and myopia by 0.99 diopters (D) less than those wearing single vision lenses. These results underscore the lens’s potential in significantly curbing myopia progression.
Further reinforcing its efficacy, the latest four-year clinical trial presented at the 2023 ARVO annual meeting revealed that the Essilor Stellest lenses continued to exhibit strong myopia control. Children who wore the lenses full-time experienced an average myopia reduction of over one and a quarter diopters, with their eye growth patterns resembling or being slower than those of non-myopic children. These findings highlight the sustained efficacy of the Essilor Stellest lens over an extended period.
Side Effects
An essential consideration in the adoption of myopia control lenses is their impact on overall visual function. However, studies have shown that Essilor Stellest lens does not compromise visual acuity.
Distance and near visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and binocular vision remain comparable to those achieved with single vision lenses.
Spectrum is Here to Help!
Book an appointment for a free eye check-up and visit our store today! As one of the official distributors of Essilor Stellest in Vietnam, our highly trusted and skilled optometrists are here to assist you.
