Essilor launches Varilux Shift, AI-designed progressive lens for presbyopes

Essilor, a long-established eyecare company, has introduced Varilux Shift to its progressive lens lineup. The Varilux brand itself carries historical significance: the lenses trace their origins to 1959, though the U.S. market did not see them until 1965, and they are reported to have been the first progressive lenses ever developed. Progressive lenses are designed for presbyopia patients aged 40+, offering four key benefits: sharp vision equivalent to single-vision lenses for near and intermediate distances, seamless transitions between viewing zones, a wide field of vision, and stable vision in motion that allows faster adaptation with fewer distortions.

Varilux Shift positions itself as the "go-to entry-level" option within the Varilux portfolio, distinct from the premium Varilux XR Series that launched in 2023 as an AI-driven progressive lens. The new lens addresses a specific visual challenge: modern presbyopes require approximately 150,000 focus shifts daily and face increasing demands from digital device usage. Essilor describes today's presbyope's visual behavior as "highly dynamic," requiring a lens that provides smooth, natural transitions across all viewing distances.

The AI component was employed to predict how gaze declination—the angle at which the eye looks downward or across—varies across different refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism) and addition values (the lens power needed for near vision). Avanti Upponi, senior director of Lens Product Marketing at Essilor U.S., explained the design philosophy: "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." The lens design integrates several technologies: Multi-Design by Ametropia enhances the lens design and progression length based on the wearer's ADD power and refractive error; Wearer Mode ensures correct optical power in real-world conditions by accounting for lens tilt, wrap angle, vertex distance, and eye position; and iComfort technology optimizes the position of the near vision zone to align with presbyopic visual habits, providing easier access and more intuitive adaptation.

Essilor provided clinical data based on AI simulations comparing Varilux Shift to standard progressive addition lenses (PAL). The results showed Varilux Shift delivering 34% improvement in design softness, reducing lateral aberration peak and minimizing the "swim effect" (a distortion some wearers experience), and 18% enlargement in far vision by maximizing the field of vision enlarged vertically, creating a larger zone for distance viewing. From a regulatory perspective, Varilux Shift, like other progressive addition lenses, is exempt from FDA premarket review as a Class I device and is not an FDA-cleared or FDA-approved product. Patients can purchase Varilux Shift through eyecare providers located via Essilor's provider locator, and eyecare professionals can contact Essilor directly for information on adding the lens to their offerings.

Essilor's launch of Varilux Shift reflects a strategic repositioning of its progressive lens portfolio to address contemporary vision demands. The company positioned the lens as entry-level within the Varilux line, distinct from the premium Varilux XR Series launched in 2023. The core insight driving the product is quantified explicitly in the article: presbyopes today require approximately 150,000 focus shifts daily, a figure that underscores the intensity of modern vision workload. Essilor's use of AI in lens design—predicting gaze declination across refractive errors and addition values—represents an incremental application of machine learning to optical product development, allowing engineers to model real-world visual behavior and optimize multiple design parameters (near vision zone placement, far vision area size, reduction of optical aberrations) simultaneously. The clinical data cited (34% softness improvement, 18% far vision enlargement) derives from AI simulations rather than full-scale human trials, providing early validation of the design approach. The lens integrates iComfort technology, which optimizes near vision zone positioning to align with presbyopic visual habits, and incorporates a Multi-Design feature that tailors the lens to individual refractive prescriptions and addition power. Varilux Shift's status as a Class I FDA-exempt device—unlike Essilor's own Stellest lens, which received FDA authorization—indicates it operates within the established regulatory pathway for progressive addition lenses and does not require premarket clearance.

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