Essilor Stellest Named One of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026
Recognition in the Health and Wellness category highlights Essilor's continued leadership in childhood myopia management
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Essilor today announced that Essilor® Stellest® lenses have been named as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 in the Health & Wellness category.
The recognition marks an important milestone for Essilor® Stellest® lenses, a myopia management solution proven to slow myopia progression in children. * 1 It also reflects Essilor's long-standing commitment to advancing vision science and bringing meaningful innovation to eye care professionals, children, and families.
For more than 175 years, Essilor® has been dedicated to improving vision through research, innovation and partnerships across the eye care community. As childhood myopia continues to rise worldwide, and with nearly 5 billion people projected to be myopic by 2050 2, the need for early intervention and evidence-based management options has never been more important.
The TIME recognition comes just over one year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted De Novo market authorization to Essilor® Stellest® lenses in September 2025, making them the first and only FDA market-authorized spectacle lenses in the U.S. to slow myopia progression in children. 3 The lenses also received FDA Breakthrough Device designation in 2021. 4
"Being recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2026 is a strong acknowledgment of Essilor's innovation capabilities, embodied by Essilor Stellest," said Arnaud Ribadeau Dumas, head of Product & Marketing Optical Categories at EssilorLuxottica. "Backed by more than 175 years of expertise in vision care, Essilor continues to support visual health through its network of partners and Essilor Experts. With Essilor Stellest, we are bringing families evidence-based innovation they can trust, helping them act early on childhood myopia and support children's visual future, today and over the long term."
Myopia is one of the fastest-growing vision challenges among children globally. Beyond the need for clear vision today, progressive myopia can have implications for long-term eye health, making regular eye exams and professional guidance essential.
The inclusion of Essilor® Stellest® lenses in TIME's Best Inventions of 2026 underscores the growing global focus on childhood myopia and the important role of the eye care industry in helping families act earlier.
For more information about Essilor® Stellest®: visit https://www.essilor.com/us-en/products/stellest/
About Essilor
Essilor®, part of Essilor International's portfolio, an EssilorLuxottica group company, number one in spectacle lenses worldwide(5) and the number one lens brand recommended by eye care professionals(ECPs)(6). It offers a complete range of solutions dedicated to everyone's vision and lifestyle needs throughout their life. Every Essilor® lens is a combination of multiple complementary technologies thanks to its suite of leading premium vision care solutions, including innovative brands such as Stellest®, Eyezen®,Varilux® and Crizal®.
Contact: [email protected]
Footnote: |
Essilor® Stellest® lens regulatory status and product availability may vary by country. Data presented may be derived from one or more clinical studies. U.S. FDA authorization and indications for use are based solely on clinical trial data from the U.S. *Compared to single vision lenses. Results from a prospective, randomized, double- masked, multicenter U.S. clinical trial in myopic children aged 6–12 years at initiation of treatment. |
1. Shen J, et al. Spectacle lenses with highly aspherical lenslets for myopia control: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA ophthalmology. 2026 Aug 20. |
2. Holden BA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016 May 1;123(5):1036-42. |
3. US. FDA. Authorizes marketing of first eyeglass lenses to slow progression of paediatric myopia. Sep 2025. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-marketing-first-eyeglass-lenses-slow-progression-pediatric-myopia |
4.The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Device designation to the Essilor® Stellest® spectacle lens in April 2021 |
5. Source: Euromonitor, Eyewear 2026 edition; Essilor International company; worldwide retail value sales at RSP. |
6. Source: Based on an average recommendation with quantitative research conducted in 8 countries (Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Italy, UK, and the US) among a representative sample of 1560 Eye Care Professionals: 1047 opticians, 513 optometrists, between January and June 2022. These 8 countries represent: 63% of total world in lens volume. |
SOURCE EssilorLuxottica
Share this article