Essilor® Stellest® Named One of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

Recognition in the Health and Wellness category highlights Essilor’s continued commitment to childhood myopia management

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 2050², 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 authorisation to Essilor® Stellest® lenses in September 2025, making them the first and only FDA market-authorised 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 recognised 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. “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. 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.”

Myopia is one of the fastest-growing vision challenges among children globally. Beyond the need for clear vision today, progressive myopia can affect long-term eye health, making regular eye exams and professional guidance essential.

“This recognition is a reminder of why innovation in children’s vision care matters”, said Giona Riccetti, General Manager Professional Solutions UK&I.

“Essilor® Stellest® brings meaningful, evidence-based innovation to childhood myopia management, helping eye care professionals and families act earlier and support children’s visual future over the long term.”

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.