WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized marketing of the Essilor Stellest eyeglass lenses to correct myopia, with or without astigmatism, and to slow the progression of the disease in children 6 to 12 years old.

The Essilor Stellest eyeglass lenses have a clear 9-mm diameter area in the center that is surrounded by peripheral lenslets (rings of tiny, raised dots), which provide peripheral light defocus that may help to slow the progression of myopia in children. Myopia typically progresses in school-aged children when their eyes are still growing. Prior to Essilor Stellest eyeglass lenses, the only approved device for slowing the progression of myopia was contact lenses for 8- to 12-year-olds. The Essilor Stellest eyeglass lenses provide an option for children aged 6 to 7 years old and for children who are unable to wear contact lenses.

The authorization is based on a clinical study that showed the Essilor Stellest eyeglass lenses slowed myopia progression versus single vision control lenses. The results of the study showed a 71 percent reduction in myopia progression at 24 months based on spherical equivalent refraction and a 53 percent reduction in eye elongation at 24 months based on axial length. No serious adverse events were reported, although some participants reported visual symptoms such as blur and halos.

"Today's authorization brings to market a treatment option that may meaningfully reduce the likelihood of severe eyesight issues later in adult life, while also being easier to use and lower risk than the currently authorized devices that slow the progression of myopia in children," Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.

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