September 28, 2020
Interim findings after one year of an ongoing clinical trial of Essilor’s Stellest lens show more than 60% slowdown in myopia progression on average, when compared to children wearing single vision lenses.
Myopia today represents a global health crisis, with 5 billion people, or half of the world’s population, expected to be myopic by 2050. It can progress rapidly in children, and may lead to sight-threatening eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment and macular degeneration later in life. When detected early, myopia control solutions can help in slowing down its progression in children, reducing such risks and ensuring a better quality of life.
Myopia has been steadily increasing worldwide and in particular in China, with 54% prevalence in children aged 6-18 and 81% prevalence in children aged 18 years old.1 As part of its mission to improve lives by improving sight and its commitment to focus resources where they are most needed, Essilor launched Stellest lens in the Wenzhou Medical University Eye Hospital in China in July, with positive feedback from parents and children alike. This will be continued with a broader roll-out in other hospitals in China, followed by several other countries.
The ongoing state-of-the-art three-year clinical trial on 167 myopic children2 started in 2018 in Essilor’s joint Research and Development Center with its key partner, the Wenzhou Medical University in China. The one-year results already demonstrate strong evidence of the lenses’ effectiveness in slowing down myopia progression and promises to be Essilor’s best solution to fight myopia progression in children—in an aesthetic, efficient, safe, simple and easy to prescribe solution.
Key interim findings:
● After one year, children wearing Stellest lenses saved more than half a diopter of myopia degree on average (more than 60% slow-down in myopia progression when compared to the control group wearing single vision lenses).
● After one year, eye elongation was prevented in 28% of the children wearing Stellest lenses, while eye elongation occurred in all the children wearing single vision lenses.
● 100% of children wearing Stellest lenses had clear vision, adapted to their new lenses within a week, and were as satisfied with their quality of vision as the children wearing single vision lenses.
These promising interim findings were first unveiled at the World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS) Worldwide Connect 2020 virtual congress, of which Essilor is a gold sponsor.
The Stellest lens has been designed with an exclusive and pioneering technology called “H.A.L.T.” technology (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) by Essilor’s industry-leading research and development teams. It is the culmination of more than 30 years of academic studies, product design, rigorous research efforts, and collaborating with the top research institutes and myopia experts.
The Stellest lens provides myopia correction and sharp far vision through a single vision zone and myopia control through H.A.L.T. technology. The H.A.L.T. technology consists of a constellation of aspherical lenslets spread on 11 rings and was designed to create for the first time, a volume of signal that slows down the elongation of the eye. The power on each ring has been ingeniously determined to guarantee a volume of signal always in front of the retina and following its shape, to achieve consistent myopia slowdown.
Norbert Gorny, Co-Chief Operating Officer, Essilor International shed light on the progress, “The interim results are impressive, confirming the positive impact of this solution on myopic children and making us fully confident that the Stellest lens will be one of the most effective myopia control spectacle lenses in the world. This lens will mark a new era of innovation in this field and is testament to one of the many ways in which Essilor continues to push the boundaries with innovation and technology, to tackle the myopia epidemic.”
Grita Loebsack, group chief marketing officer, Essilor International said, “We are excited to start offering this new solution to help children who continue to be at risk of vision-threatening complications due to high myopia. The Stellest lens has already received extremely positive response from eye care professionals. This reaffirms our leadership in the myopia management category and brings us closer to achieving our vision of reducing the impact of high myopia and ensuring a brighter future for our children. We are also proud to support WSPOS and showcase our long-standing commitment and expertise in reducing the threat of myopia at such an international and renowned forum. We truly believe that strong partnerships allow us to achieve far more than we could achieve alone.”
1) Source: McKinsey research; China National Health Commission 2018 survey
2) The children in the study were between 8 and 13 years old and were divided into a treatment group equipped with Stellest™ lenses and a control group with single vision lenses.
