As a parent, you want to support your child’s vision and well-being. When a child has myopia, also known as nearsightedness, their world can become blurry. This often leaves you wondering what you can do to help.
You may find yourself looking for options beyond traditional glasses. Essilor Stellest lenses are a type of spectacle lens made to provide clear vision and help manage myopia progression in children. They offer a simple approach to a complex issue, fitting into your child’s life just like regular glasses.
A Simple Look at Myopia in Children
Myopia is a common vision condition where your child can typically see objects up close clearly, but things far away look blurry. This happens when the eyeball grows a little too long from front to back. Since children’s eyes continue to grow, myopia can often increase over time.
Signs Your Child Might Have Myopia
Children may not always tell you their vision is blurry because it seems normal to them. Instead, you might notice other signs, such as:
- Squinting to see the board at school or the TV
- Holding books or tablets very close to their face
- Complaining about headaches or tired eyes
- Rubbing their eyes often
Why Myopia Management Matters
Managing myopia is about more than just stronger glasses each year. Higher levels of myopia can be associated with an increased risk of certain eye health conditions later in life. A myopia management plan aims to slow the rate of change for their long-term eye health.
The Technology Behind Essilor Stellest Lenses
Essilor Stellest lenses do 2 jobs at once. They correct your child’s current blurry distance vision and have technology built in to help manage the progression of their myopia.
What Is H.A.L.T. Technology?
These lenses use what is called H.A.L.T. technology, which stands for highly aspherical lenslet target. The surface of each lens contains a constellation of 1,021 tiny, almost invisible lenslets. These lenslets are arranged in 11 rings across the lens.
How the Lenslets Slow Eye Growth
While the main part of the lens gives your child sharp vision, the small lenslets create a signal in front of the retina. This signal helps regulate the eye’s growth, telling it to slow down the elongation that causes myopia progression.
What to Expect with Stellest Lenses
For children, these lenses look and feel just like a standard pair of glasses. They are made from a strong and lightweight material suitable for active kids.
Vision Quality and Daily Use
Children can experience clear vision with Stellest lenses. Their visual acuity—how clearly they see—is similar to what they would have with single-vision glasses. They can easily switch their focus from near to far for activities like reading a book or playing outside.
Adapt to the New Lenses
Most children adapt to their new Stellest lenses very quickly. Many can get used to them within 3 days. Nearly all children report feeling comfortable with their new lenses within one week of wear.
Can You Drive with Stellest Lenses?
Stellest lenses are designed for everyday, full-time wear for children and teenagers who have myopia. The lenses provide the clear distance vision needed for activities where sharp sight is important. This includes things like sports or, for older teens, driving.
The Importance of Full-Time Wear
For Stellest lenses to work as intended, your child needs to wear them consistently. The effectiveness is closely linked to how much time the glasses spend on the face.
What Is the Recommended Wear Time?
The recommendation is for your child to wear their Stellest lenses for a minimum of 10 hours per day, 6 days a week. You can remove them for activities like sleeping or swimming.
How Consistent Wear Helps Your Child
Wearing the lenses full-time helps provide a continuous signal to the eye to slow down its growth. If the lenses are only worn part-time, the myopia management effect may be reduced.
Are Stellest Lenses Right for Your Child?
Deciding on a myopia management plan is a conversation between you, your child, and your eye care professional. These lenses offer a simple and noninvasive option for many families.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Essilor Stellest lenses are designed for children who are starting to develop myopia or whose prescription has been getting stronger over time. They can correct a wide range of prescriptions, including prescriptions with astigmatism.
Stellest Lenses and Other Options
These lenses are one of several tools for myopia management. Other options your eye doctor might discuss include specialty soft contact lenses and therapeutic eye drops. The right choice depends on your child’s lifestyle and specific vision needs.
Consult an Optometrist in Dallas
The first step is a comprehensive eye exam. A conversation with an optometrist in Dallas can help you understand your child’s vision. Together, you can explore whether Stellest lenses are a suitable option to help protect their sight for the future. At Vision Veritas, we want to help your family see the world with clarity and truth. If you have questions about your child’s vision or myopia management, schedule a visit with our team. We’re here to discuss your options and find a solution that works for your child.
