When you’re making decisions about your child’s vision, you want to know that the treatment is backed by solid science. Stellest lenses have undergone rigorous clinical testing and earned FDA authorization as the first eyeglass lenses specifically designed to help slow myopia progression in children. Let’s walk through what the research shows and why it matters for your child.
What Does FDA Authorization Mean?
In September 2025, Stellest lenses received FDA authorization through a rigorous review process. This wasn’t a rubber stamp or marketing claim. It was the result of years of clinical trials, thousands of data points, and careful evaluation by independent scientists and medical reviewers.
FDA authorization means:
Think of FDA authorization like the difference between a supplement you buy online with questionable claims versus a prescription medication that’s been through years of testing. FDA authorization provides assurance that what you’re getting actually works as claimed.
The Clinical Trial: How Stellest Was Tested
The research supporting Stellest wasn’t done in a laboratory with just a handful of children. It was a large-scale, carefully designed clinical trial that followed the gold standard for medical research.
How the Study Worked
The study followed strict scientific protocols to ensure the results were accurate and reliable.
Key features of the trial included:
This type of study design, called a randomized controlled trial, is considered the gold standard because it eliminates bias and provides the most reliable evidence. It’s the same type of study used to test new medications before they’re approved.
Why Two Years Matters
Two years might not sound like a long time, but in myopia research, it’s significant. Children’s eyes can change rapidly during these growing years. A two-year study captures meaningful progression and demonstrates that the treatment effect is sustained over time, not just a temporary result.
During two years, a child with progressive myopia might naturally develop an additional 1.00 to 2.00 diopters without treatment. That’s the difference between mild myopia and moderate myopia, or moderate myopia and high myopia. Slowing that progression during this critical period provides lasting benefits that extend into adulthood.
The Results: What the Research Showed
The clinical trial results were impressive and consistent. Children wearing Stellest lenses showed significantly slower myopia progression compared to children wearing regular glasses.
The Numbers
After two years, children wearing Stellest lenses showed:
- 71% less increase in their prescription strength
- 53% less physical growth in the length of their eyeballs
- Consistent results throughout the entire two-year period
- Benefits that were seen across all age groups in the study
What These Percentages Actually Mean
Percentages can feel abstract, so let’s translate them into real-world terms for your child.
Imagine two 8-year-old children, both starting with -1.00 diopter of myopia. One wears regular glasses, the other wears Stellest lenses. Both wear their glasses consistently for two years.
After two years:
That difference of 1.40 diopters provides significant long-term protection. Research shows that each diopter of myopia reduction decreases the risk of myopic macular degeneration by approximately 40%. Reducing final myopia helps lower the risk of vision-threatening complications throughout your child’s lifetime. It’s not just about needing thinner glasses. It’s about protecting your child’s long-term eye health and reducing their risk of serious vision complications later in life.
Measuring Eye Length: Why It’s Important
You might wonder why researchers measured both prescription changes and eye length. Here’s why eye length matters even more than the prescription number.
Myopia happens because the eyeball grows too long. As it stretches, the tissues inside get thinner and more fragile, like stretching a balloon. This stretching and thinning creates all the disease risks we worry about: retinal detachment, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early cataracts.
When Stellest slows the physical growth of the eyeball by 53%, it’s directly addressing the root cause of those future complications. It’s not just making the prescription weaker. It’s preventing the structural changes that lead to disease.
Think of it this way: regular glasses are like corrective shoes that help you walk better despite having a structural problem with your feet. Stellest lenses are like intervention that actually helps prevent the structural problem from getting worse in the first place.
Comparing Stellest to Other Treatments
You’re probably wondering how Stellest stacks up against other myopia management options. It’s a fair question, and the research provides helpful context.
How Stellest Compares
Based on clinical trial data:
- Stellest lenses: 71% reduction in prescription progression, 53% reduction in eye length growth
- MiSight contact lenses: 59% reduction in prescription progression, 52% reduction in eye length growth
- Orthokeratology: 36% to 56% reduction in progression depending on the study
- Low-dose atropine: effectiveness varies significantly by concentration and population, with studies showing mixed results. Higher concentrations (0.05%) demonstrate better efficacy than lower concentrations (0.01%), with some studies showing 50% to 60% reduction while others show minimal effect
What These Comparisons Really Mean
Here’s the important thing to understand: all four of these treatments work. They’ve all been validated through rigorous research. They all significantly slow myopia progression compared to doing nothing.
The differences in percentages between these treatments are relatively small when you consider real-world use. A treatment showing 75% efficacy that your child uses inconsistently will provide worse results than a treatment showing 60% efficacy that your child uses religiously every day.
The best treatment is the one your child will actually wear consistently, that fits your family’s lifestyle, and that you can sustain for years. That’s why we offer all four options and help you choose based on your child’s individual needs rather than pushing one treatment as universally superior.
Safety: What Parents Need to Know
Effectiveness matters, but safety matters more. You need to know that Stellest lenses are safe for your child to wear every day for years.
What the Safety Data Shows
Throughout the two-year clinical trial, researchers carefully monitored children for any safety concerns or side effects.
The safety findings were reassuring:
How Children Experience Stellest
Parents often worry that the special lens design with 1,021 tiny lenslets might be distracting or uncomfortable for their child. The research shows these concerns are unfounded.
Children in the clinical trial reported:
The lenslets work in the peripheral part of the lens, outside where your child actually looks. Think of them like a security system working quietly in the background. Your child doesn’t see them or notice them, but they’re working continuously to slow myopia progression.
The Importance of Consistent Wear
The impressive 71% reduction in progression reflects the results seen in the clinical trial with consistent daily wear. For optimal results, consistent daily wear of at least 10 to 12 hours is recommended, similar to protocols used in myopia management research.
Wear Time and Effectiveness
The research showed a clear relationship between how many hours per day children wore Stellest and how well the treatment worked. More hours meant better results.
Think of it like taking medication. If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic three times daily for 10 days, taking it only once a day or skipping days reduces effectiveness. Stellest works the same way. The clinical trial results reflect children who wore the lenses consistently throughout the day.
Guidelines for optimal results:
Long-Term Benefits: Thinking Beyond Two Years
The clinical trial lasted two years, but your child will benefit from myopia management for much longer if treatment begins early and continues through their growing years.
Compounding Protection Over Time
Let’s think about the math of long-term treatment. If Stellest reduces progression by 71% each year, that protection compounds over multiple years of childhood growth.
Consider a child starting treatment at age 7 and continuing through age 14:
That 3.50 to 4.00 diopter difference is enormous. It’s often the difference between low myopia with minimal disease risk versus high myopia with significantly elevated risk of serious complications.
Real Children, Real Results
While statistics and percentages provide important evidence, it helps to think about what this means for actual children and families.
The children in the Stellest clinical trial were real kids with busy lives. They attended school, played sports, did homework, spent time with friends, and participated in all the normal activities of childhood. Stellest fit into their lives without disruption while providing powerful protection for their vision.
Parents in the study reported high satisfaction with treatment. Their children wore the glasses consistently, adapted quickly, and experienced no significant problems or complaints. The treatment was practical, sustainable, and effective for families just like yours.
What the Research Doesn’t Tell Us Yet
Scientific honesty requires acknowledging what we don’t yet know. The current research provides strong evidence for Stellest’s safety and effectiveness, but some questions remain under investigation.
Areas of ongoing research include:
These are important questions, and research is ongoing. However, the absence of complete answers shouldn’t paralyze decision-making. We have strong evidence that Stellest works, that it’s safe, and that starting early provides maximum benefit. Waiting for perfect information means allowing your child’s myopia to progress unchecked during critical years.
Why Insight Vision Center for Your Child’s Myopia Management
Understanding the research is one thing. Applying it to your child’s individual situation requires expertise and experience. At Insight Vision Center, our internationally recognized team stays current with the latest myopia research and translates that evidence into practical, personalized care for every child we see.
Our approach includes:
Dr. Thanh Mai, OD, FSLS, FIAOMC serves on the Treehouse Eyes Leadership Team and maintains active involvement in professional myopia management organizations. This national-level engagement ensures our practice remains at the forefront of emerging research and best practices.
We don’t just prescribe Stellest lenses. We educate families about the science, monitor treatment effectiveness with objective measurements, adjust approaches when needed, and provide comprehensive support throughout your child’s myopia management journey.
The Highest Rated Eye Care Center In Orange County
What Our Patients are Saying
“Insight vision has great customer service staff n the best optometrist Ive ever seen
Dr Nathan Schramm spends as much time as needed n has the highest advanced technology. I highly recommend this practice for anyone with any vision problem.”
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Nancy B.
“Everyone there was really nice. From the front desk to the doctor, they were all very nice and accommodating. Rachel was the one who taught me how to put contact lenses in my eyes and she was super patient with me. Definitely recommend this place.”
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Tim S.
Take the Next Step: Schedule Your Child’s Complimentary Myopia Evaluation
Now that you understand the research behind Stellest, the next step is determining whether this proven treatment is right for your child. Every child’s situation is unique, and personalized evaluation helps match the treatment to the individual.
Insight Vision Center offers a no-charge comprehensive myopia evaluation, valued at approximately $150 to $250, where we’ll discuss:
This evaluation provides everything you need to make a confident, informed decision grounded in science rather than marketing claims or guesswork.
Contact Us Today
Call us today at (714) 942-1361 to schedule your child’s complimentary myopia evaluation, or speak with our Myopia Management Care Coordinator for a phone consultation.
Remember these key facts:
The research is clear: Stellest works. Now the question is whether it’s the right choice for your child. Let’s have that conversation together and create a personalized plan to protect your child’s vision for a lifetime.
