When your child gets the diagnosis of myopia (or near sightedness), there's a lot to take in. Suddenly you're talking about glasses and potentially contact lenses, and because there is no cure, a lifetime of needing those supports to be able to see. Refractive surgery to correct vision is not an option until at least age 18 and has it's own side effects to consider. And then on top of all of this information, your doctor explains that your child not only has myopia, but studies show that their vision will get WORSE every year by an average of 0.50-0.75 diopters until they stop growing, around age 18. 

"What if we don't do glasses then? Or what if we cut the prescription down in the glasses (undercorrect the myopia)?" you might be tempted to think. Studies show that will only make the eyes worsen faster.

For the past several decades as more and more research has been published, there has been no statistically significant, meaningful method of slowing down childhood prescription worsening with glasses, despite efforts with undercorrection, bifocals, prism, and progressives. If a parent wanted to slow down the rate of their child's worsening vision, their only options for myopia management were FDA approved multifocal contact lenses called MiSight, orthokeratology corneal molds for overnight wear, or off-label low dose atropine. All of these options have their own pros and cons, and many parents are hesitant to initiate nightly eye drops or contact lens wear into their young child's day to day routine. 

At least, this was true until September 25, 2025 when the FDA granted marketing approval for the first ever glasses to slow down the progression of myopia: Essilor Stellest. 

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How Does it Work?

Unlike traditional glasses, the Stellest lens has 1021 tiny highly aspheric lenslets arranged in 11 distinct rings 9 millimeters around the central visual axis. Called HALT technology (highly aspheric lenslet target), these lenslets create a phenomenon called peripheral myopic defocus for light falling into the retina. Want to nerd out about peripheral defocus? Read my summary here!

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How Well Does it Work?

Essilor Stellest lenses have a large amount of data to support their effective myopia management benefits. Back in 2021 they were designated as a breakthrough novel device by the FDA based on initial data, and over the ensuing years more and more clinical study data has been compiled both in clinical trials around the US and in other countries where doctors were already prescribing this lens for myopia management. Here's how the data breaks down:

Two Year Study Data: This study included 157 children ages 8-13 with prescriptions between -0.75D to -4.75D who were randomly assigned to single vision (normal) glasses correction or HALT lens correction (Stellest lenses) for full time wear (12 or more hours per day). For those wearing the HALT lens design, there was a 67% slowing of prescription progression (worsening prescription) and 60% reduction in axial length progression (elongation of the eye).

Six Year Study Data: After 6 years of HALT lens wear, a 57% slowing of prescription progression and 52% reduction in axial length progression was demonstrated compared to single vision lens wear. Additionally, the risk of progressing to high myopia (defined as -6.00D or worse) dropped from 38% in the single-vision lens control group to just 9% in the HALT lens group.

These results are comparable to study data for the existing myopia management strategies available, making HALT glasses an excellent option to consider for parents who want to reduce the chance that their children's vision will get worse as they grow. No longer do parents only have the option of starting their child on eye drops or contact lenses in order to keep their prescription as low as possible; with myopia management glasses now FDA approved, doctors can prescribe whatever option is best for the child and their family and keep the child's vision as clear as possible!