EssilorLuxottica Consolidates Myopia Science Leadership at ARVO 2026 with Seven-Year Stellest Data

New long-term findings, real-world evidence and a fully integrated med-tech ecosystem signal a maturing era of personalised myopia management

EssilorLuxottica used the world's premier vision research conference to make a statement that went well beyond product updates presenting, for the first time, a fully integrated vision care and medical technology ecosystem spanning the entire eye care continuum.

At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2026 Annual Meeting, held in Denver, Colorado from 3-7 May, the group coordinated more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific abstracts across myopia management, advanced diagnostics, AI-driven analytics and therapeutic technologies, a breadth of scientific output that few companies in the sector can match.

For Australian eyecare practitioners, the most immediately relevant findings centre on Essilor Stellest lenses and an increasingly robust body of evidence supporting their use across diverse patient populations and clinical settings.

Seven Years of Data: The Long Game Pays Off

The headline result from ARVO was a seven-year follow-up study of Essilor Stellest lenses, spectacle lenses incorporating highly aspherical lenslet (HAL) technology, conducted in China. The study demonstrated that children and adolescents wearing the lenses experienced 2.30 D less myopia progression and 0.92 mm less axial elongation on average compared to single vision lens wearers, sustained across the full duration of follow-up and into adolescence up to age 19.

Crucially, longer-term wear was associated with a reduced risk of developing high myopia, a finding with significant implications for practitioners counselling families about the value of early and sustained intervention.

These results sit alongside a prospective, randomised, multicentre clinical trial conducted in the United States in children aged 6 to 12, which found Stellest lenses slowed myopia progression by 71% and axial elongation by 53% over two years compared to single vision lenses. Efficacy was consistent across age groups and baseline myopia levels, with younger children showing stronger effects, a useful data point when managing conversations with parents about starting intervention early.

The US trial also confirmed a favourable safety profile, with stable visual acuity, and demonstrated no impact on astigmatism progression consistent with results previously reported in Chinese paediatric populations.

Essilor Stellest lenses received US FDA market authorisation in September 2025, making them the first and only spectacle lenses authorised in the United States for specific paediatric myopia indications.

Evidence Across 26 Studies: Consistency Across Populations

A meta-level analysis reviewing 26 published studies across multiple populations, including 17 conducted in China, reinforced the consistency of the HAL lens evidence base. Across the 10 studies that included a single vision lens control group, axial elongation was consistently lower in children wearing HAL lenses regardless of study design or geographic location.

That geographic consistency matters for Australian clinicians, given the diverse patient populations seen in metropolitan and regional practices alike.

Real-world evidence published in Ophthalmology Science earlier this year further supported the picture, with a retrospective cohort study finding that HAL spectacle lenses incorporating H.A.L.T. (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) technology were associated with the largest reduction in axial length among the spectacle lens designs assessed. A separate real-world study in children with low myopia similarly found HAL lenses delivered the most robust progression control effect across lens designs evaluated.

Combination Approaches and School-Based Programmes

ARVO 2026 also brought data on combination approaches that will resonate with practitioners managing more complex or non-responding patients. An independent study demonstrated that combining HAL spectacle lenses with low-dose atropine maintained strong myopia progression control over 24 months, compared with atropine alone reinforcing the case for multimodal management strategies.

A large school-based study from Shanghai further showed that integrated interventions combining HAL lens wear with increased outdoor time may help reduce incident myopia and slow axial elongation in both myopic and pre-myopic children. While Australian practitioners will need to contextualise school-based findings to their own setting, the data adds weight to the holistic, lifestyle-integrated approach many clinicians already advocate.

Understanding the Mechanism: What Makes HAL Lenses Work

Beyond clinical outcomes, ARVO 2026 saw EssilorLuxottica advance mechanistic understanding of myopia control. Research explored how the retina may use chromatic contrast cues to detect defocus contributing to a growing body of knowledge around emmetropisation and the biological basis of myopia progression.

A separate study demonstrated that retinal contrast metrics may be used to predict the efficacy of myopia progression control lenses, potentially opening the door to personalised lens selection based on individual retinal response. EssilorLuxottica noted it is also advancing next-generation solutions under the Essilor Stellest 2.0 banner, though the updated lens is not yet available in all markets.

Beyond Lenses: An Integrated Ecosystem

While myopia dominated the clinical narrative, EssilorLuxottica's broader ARVO presence reflected an ambitious positioning of the group as an end-to-end eye care technology company.

Heidelberg Engineering, part of the EssilorLuxottica group, featured in over 200 posters and papers at the conference, anchored by its Multimodal Imaging Platform with Ultra High Resolution OCT and the Heidelberg OPERA digital surgical microscope with intraoperative OCT, the latter still in development and not yet available for clinical use.

Together with AI company RetinAI, Heidelberg Engineering showcased what it described as the first fully automated end-to-end DICOM workflow from image acquisition through to cloud upload and AI-powered analysis within RetinAI Discovery, all in native DICOM format. RetinAI also announced the launch of two CE-marked AI models: RetinAI OCT Atlas and LuxIA, its first AI screening model for diabetic retinopathy, alongside new predictive modelling tools for geographic atrophy.

Espansione, another group company, presented its light-based therapeutic platform eye-light, highlighting the evidence base for photobiomodulation across retinal and ocular surface care applications.

"The integration of advanced imaging, AI-driven analytics and therapeutic technologies is transforming how we understand and manage eye diseases," said Norbert Gorny, Chief Scientific Officer at EssilorLuxottica. "At ARVO 2026, we demonstrated how these capabilities enable a more connected, data-driven approach to eye care, from earlier detection to more informed patient management."

What It Means for Australian Practitioners

The sheer volume and consistency of the evidence presented at ARVO 2026 signals a maturation of the myopia management field that Australian eyecare professionals should welcome. The seven-year Stellest data in particular provides a level of longitudinal confidence that has historically been absent from spectacle-based interventions, and the convergence of trial, real-world and mechanistic data strengthens the clinical rationale for early, sustained intervention.

For practices already offering myopia management programmes, the new evidence provides stronger clinical footing for patient and parent conversations. For those yet to formalise their approach, the body of evidence presented in Denver makes a compelling case that the time to act is now.

All clinical findings referenced were presented at the ARVO 2026 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 3-7 May 2026. Essilor Stellest lens regulatory status and product availability may vary by country. The Heidelberg OPERA digital surgical microscope is currently in development and not available for clinical use.