Person wearing Essilor progressive lenses reading a document
Lens Partner

Essilor: The Inventors Of The Progressive Lens

Essilor is the world's largest ophthalmic lens manufacturer, and the company behind Varilux, the original progressive lens. From everyday coatings to myopia control, their range covers an enormous share of what we dispense.

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Who Essilor Are

Essilor is a French lens manufacturer with a history stretching back over a century, now part of EssilorLuxottica following its merger with the Luxottica eyewear group. In 1959 Essilor launched the original Varilux, the world's first commercially successful progressive lens, and progressive lens design has remained a core area of their research ever since.

Beyond progressives, Essilor's Crizal coating range and Eyezen lens design are among the most widely dispensed lens products globally, and their more recent work in myopia management, Stellest, is backed by some of the strongest published results of any myopia control spectacle lens to date.

Close-up of an Essilor Varilux progressive lens showing its power gradient
FIG. 01 — PROGRESSIVE POWER GRADIENT
The Essilor Range

Lens Technologies We Use From Essilor

PROGRESSIVE

Varilux X Series

Progressive lenses designed around modern near and intermediate behaviours, phones, laptops, dashboards, giving wide, stable vision at close range as well as distance.

Ask us about Varilux →
SCREENS

Eyezen

A lens for everyday screen use with a subtle power boost for near focusing, suited to wearers of any age, prescription or non-prescription.

Ask us about Eyezen →
COATINGS

Crizal

Essilor's anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating range, reducing glare and reflections and making lenses easier to keep clean and clear.

Ask us about Crizal →
MYOPIA CONTROL

Stellest

A lenslet-based myopia control lens using H.A.L.T. technology, with published results showing a substantial average reduction in myopia progression among children who wore it consistently.

Read our full Stellest page →
Our Reasoning

Why We Recommend Essilor

Progressive Lens Heritage

Decades of iteration on the original progressive lens design mean Varilux lenses are refined against an unusually large body of wearer experience.

Strong Myopia Control Data

Stellest's published trial results are among the most encouraging in the myopia control lens category, which we weigh heavily when discussing options for children.

Coatings That Hold Up

Crizal's anti-reflective and scratch-resistant performance remains a benchmark we compare other coating ranges against.

Person wearing glasses reading on a laptop, demonstrating everyday progressive lens use
ESSILOR — A CENTURY OF LENS INNOVATION
Common Questions

Essilor Lens Questions We're Asked Often

What makes Essilor different from other lens manufacturers?
Essilor, now part of EssilorLuxottica, is the world's largest ophthalmic lens manufacturer, and invented the modern progressive lens with the original Varilux in 1959. That combination of scale and a long research history means their lens designs are refined through an enormous amount of real-world wearer data.
Is Varilux worth the extra cost over a standard progressive lens?
For many presbyopic patients, yes. Varilux X series lenses are designed around the close, intermediate-heavy behaviours common with phones and laptops, generally giving wider usable zones and a faster adjustment period than a basic progressive design. Whether it's worth it for you depends on your prescription and how much time you spend in near and intermediate vision, which we'll talk through at your consultation.
What's Crizal and do I need it?
Crizal is Essilor's anti-reflective coating range. It reduces glare and reflections off the lens surface, improves how clear your eyes look to others, and generally makes lenses easier to keep clean. We recommend some form of anti-reflective coating on almost every pair of glasses we dispense.
Is Stellest the same as Essilor's regular lenses?
No. Stellest is a dedicated myopia control lens using a different lenslet-based design, H.A.L.T. technology, aimed specifically at slowing myopia progression in children. It sits alongside Essilor's standard vision correction range rather than replacing it. See our Stellest page for full detail.
How much do Essilor lenses cost?
It depends on the design and coatings involved: a standard single vision Essilor lens with Crizal is priced similarly to other premium single vision options, while Varilux progressives and Stellest myopia control lenses sit higher given the additional technology. We provide an exact, itemised quote at your consultation once we know your prescription and frame, rather than a generic starting figure.
Where can I get Essilor Stellest lenses fitted in Melbourne?
We fit Stellest at our Kew East practice as part of our broader myopia management program, alongside other lens-based and orthokeratology options. Because ongoing monitoring is central to myopia control, we see children from across Melbourne's inner east and further afield for Stellest fittings and progress reviews.
Is Essilor better than Zeiss or Hoya?
There isn't one best lens brand for every patient. Essilor, Zeiss and Hoya are all major manufacturers with strong optical engineering, and each makes particular designs we reach for depending on the prescription and frame. We stock all three because different lens technologies suit different needs, and we recommend whichever brand and design genuinely fits your situation.
Do I need a new eye test to get Essilor lenses?
Generally yes. We need a current, valid prescription and accurate frame measurements before ordering any Essilor lens, particularly Varilux progressives where fitting height and centration affect how well the lens performs. If your last eye test was more than 12 months ago, or your vision has changed, we'll update it first.
How long do Essilor lenses take to make?
Most standard Essilor lenses are ready within about one to two weeks. Personalised Varilux progressive designs and Stellest lenses can take a little longer, as they're manufactured to more specific individual measurements. We'll confirm an expected timeframe when you place your order.
Can Crizal coating be added to any Essilor lens?
Yes, Crizal coating options are available across almost the entire Essilor range, from single vision through to Varilux progressives and Stellest. The specific Crizal variant we recommend depends on your lifestyle, for example how much night driving or screen use you do, and we'll talk you through the options at your fitting.

Curious Whether Essilor Suits You?

Book an eye test and we'll assess your prescription and lifestyle against the full Essilor range, including Stellest if myopia control is relevant for your child.

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