Essilor Unveils Varilux Shift AI-Designed Progressive Lenses

EssilorLuxottica‘s Essilor brand has introduced Varilux Shift, a progressive lens designed with artificial intelligence (AI) to address near vision needs for presbyopic patients.

Varilux Shift was designed by analyzing millions of wearer data points to identify behavioral differences in presbyopic patients. AI was used to predict how gaze declination varies among refractive errors and addition values.

The company’s iComfort tech optimizes the placement of the near vision zone to align with presbyopic patients’ visual habits. The company said this offers easier access to the near vision zone and renders adaptation more intuitive.

AI simulations also helped compare Varilux Shift’s performance to standard progressive lenses. The data generated showed 34% improvements in the softness of the designs minimizing the “swim effect” and 18% far vision enlargement.

According to EssilorLuxottica, this meant 91% adapted to the lenses and 89% reported easy access to the near vision zone.

“The way presbyopes use their eyes today has drastically changed from the past, becoming more dynamic due to the increased utilization of digital devices,” said senior director of U.S. lens product marketing Avanti Upponi. “More than ever before, presbyopes today need a progressive lens solution that optimizes the placement of the near vision zone, provides a large far vision viewing area, and manages side effects—all while being easy to adapt to. That’s why we are excited to launch Varilux Shift lenses as the go-to entry-level Varilux design—rounding out our AI-powered portfolio and bringing innovation to every patient, at every price point.”