Myopia (nearsightedness) is one of the fastest-growing vision conditions affecting children worldwide. Left untreated, myopia doesn't just blur distance vision — it progresses year after year, increasing the risk of serious eye diseases like glaucoma, retinal detachment, and macular degeneration later in life.
The good news: we no longer have to simply hand a child stronger glasses every year and wait. Fox Valley Ophthalmology offers two clinically proven treatments — MiSight® 1 day contact lenses and Stellest® spectacle lenses — that actively slow the progression of myopia during the critical years of eye development.
Contact Lens Option
by CooperVision — FDA Approved for Myopia Control
Daily DisposableMiSight 1 day is the first and only FDA-approved soft contact lens specifically designed to slow the progression of myopia in children. Using a dual-focus optical design, the lens simultaneously corrects vision and creates peripheral defocus signals that tell the eye to stop growing too long — the underlying cause of worsening myopia.
Clinical trials spanning seven years — the longest of any soft myopia control lens — demonstrate that MiSight slows myopia progression by an average of 59% and reduces abnormal eye elongation by 52% compared to single-vision lenses. Importantly, new data shows no rebound effect when children stop wearing the lenses, meaning the gains in myopia control are preserved.
Spectacle Lens Option
by Essilor — HALT Technology
Eyeglass LensesStellest lenses from Essilor offer a contact-free path to myopia control for children who wear glasses. Using patented HALT (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) technology, Stellest lenses feature a constellation of 1,021 contiguous aspherical micro-lenslets arranged in 11 concentric rings. These lenslets create a volume of light ahead of the retina, which signals the eye to slow its growth.
In a two-year clinical trial, children who wore Stellest lenses for at least 12 hours a day showed 60% slower myopia progression on average compared to children wearing standard single-vision lenses. Over five years, Stellest is projected to save children 1.75 diopters of myopia — a clinically meaningful reduction in long-term disease risk.
| Feature | MiSight 1 Day | Stellest |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Daily disposable contact lens | Eyeglass lens |
| Manufacturer | CooperVision | Essilor |
| FDA Approved for Myopia Control | ✓ | CE Marked (Europe) |
| Age Range | 8 and older | 8–16 |
| Myopia Range | –0.75 D to –4.00 D | –0.75 D to –6.00 D |
| Avg. Progression Slowing | ~59% | ~60% (compliant wearers) |
| Requires Contact Lens Care | No (daily disposable) | No |
| Good for Active Children / Sports | ✓ | With sports eyewear |
| Clinical Evidence | 7-year study | 3-year study (ongoing) |
Early intervention produces the best results. If your child is nearsighted or showing signs of worsening vision, call us to discuss whether MiSight or Stellest is the right fit.
St. Charles: 630.584.9850 Elgin: 847.695.0499