Glasses that do more than correct short-sightedness
If your child is becoming more short-sighted, changing their glasses prescription is only part of the picture.
Myopia management spectacle lenses are specially designed glasses that provide clear vision while also helping to slow the progression of childhood myopia and excessive eye growth.
At Illume Eye Care in Ponsonby, Auckland, we offer several evidence-based myopia management spectacle lens options, including:
- Essilor® Stellest® 2.0
- HOYA MiYOSMART iQ
- ZEISS MyoCare®
Rather than prescribing a particular brand to every child, we consider your child’s age, prescription, rate of progression, axial length, previous treatment, visual needs and lifestyle before recommending the most appropriate option.
Why manage myopia rather than simply correct it?
Myopia (or short-sightedness) commonly develops when the eye grows too long from front to back. Light is then focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurred.
Traditional single-vision glasses correct this blur, allowing your child to see clearly. However, they are not designed to slow the underlying progression of myopia.
This matters because myopia is more than simply needing stronger glasses.
As myopia and axial length increase, so does the lifetime risk of eye conditions including myopic macular degeneration, retinal detachment, glaucoma and some forms of cataract. The risks increase progressively with increasing levels of myopia.
The goal of myopia management is therefore not necessarily to stop myopia completely. It is to slow how quickly the prescription changes and, importantly, reduce excessive growth of the eye during childhood.
Current International Myopia Institute guidance supports proactive myopia management, with optical treatments such as specialised spectacle lenses now considered an important first-line option for many children.
How do myopia management glasses work?
Modern myopia management spectacle lenses look much like ordinary glasses.
The central part of the lens corrects your child’s prescription so they can see clearly. Surrounding this are specially engineered optical zones that create a controlled visual signal, often described as myopic defocus, designed to influence the signals involved in eye growth.
Different manufacturers achieve this in slightly different ways, which is why technologies such as D.I.M.S., H.A.L.T. MAX and C.A.R.E. look different under magnification even though their overall goal is similar.
Your child simply wears the glasses during their normal day.
There are no drops to remember, no contact lenses to insert and no overnight lenses to clean, making myopia management spectacles an excellent option for many children and families.
Myopia Management Spectacle Lens Options at Illume
Essilor® Stellest® 2.0
Stellest 2.0 is the latest generation of Essilor's Stellest myopia management spectacle lens.
The original Stellest design uses H.A.L.T. — Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target — technology, with a clear central area surrounded by multiple highly aspherical lenslets. These create a volume of myopic defocus in front of the retina while maintaining clear central vision.
Stellest 2.0 uses the newer H.A.L.T. MAX design, with increased lenslet power and asphericity to create a stronger optical signal.
What does the evidence show?
The original Stellest/H.A.L.T. design has an established clinical evidence base.
A recently published 24-month randomised controlled trial involving US children aged 6–12 found 71% less myopia progression and 53% less axial elongation with H.A.L.T. spectacle lenses compared with standard single-vision lenses.
Stellest 2.0 takes that established platform further. In a one-year study of children aged 6–10, axial elongation was 0.121 mm with Stellest 2.0 compared with 0.228 mm with first-generation Stellest, representing significantly less eye growth with the newer H.A.L.T. MAX design.
It is worth understanding that the newer Stellest 2.0 study compared it with first-generation Stellest rather than ordinary single-vision glasses. Longer-term data for the 2.0 design will continue to accumulate.
Why we might consider Stellest 2.0:
A modern, non-invasive option with a strong underlying clinical platform and promising evidence for increased myopia management efficacy.
HOYA MiYOSMART iQ
MiYOSMART iQ is HOYA's newest generation of its well-established D.I.M.S. myopia management technology.
D.I.M.S. stands for Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments. The lens combines clear prescription correction with multiple treatment segments designed to create myopic defocus.
MiYOSMART iQ introduces a Triple Enhanced Design which modifies the position, power and extent of the treatment area to provide a stronger myopia management signal.
What does the evidence show?
The original D.I.M.S. technology has one of the longest evidence bases among modern myopia management spectacle lenses.
In the landmark two-year randomised controlled trial, children wearing D.I.M.S. lenses had:
- 52% less myopia progression
- 62% less axial elongation
compared with children wearing standard single-vision glasses.
Longer-term follow-up and subsequent studies have continued to support the effectiveness and tolerability of D.I.M.S. spectacle lenses in children, including more recent data from children outside Asia.
MiYOSMART iQ builds on this technology. Twelve-month randomised clinical trial results presented in 2026 reported that 9 out of 10 children had no clinically relevant myopia progression during the first year of wear, with no myopia progression on average across the study group. These newer-generation results are currently based on published conference proceedings and emerging clinical data, so the evidence base for iQ itself is understandably shorter than that of the original MiYOSMART design.
Why we might consider MiYOSMART iQ:
A next-generation design built on one of the most extensively studied spectacle-based myopia management technologies available.
ZEISS MyoCare®
ZEISS MyoCare uses C.A.R.E. technology — Cylindrical Annular Refractive Elements — within the lens treatment area.
A clear central zone provides sharp vision while the surrounding C.A.R.E. structures deliver simultaneous competing myopic defocus intended to help slow excessive axial eye growth.
ZEISS currently offers MyoCare and MyoCare S designs. MyoCare uses a smaller central treatment zone with a stronger optical signal, while MyoCare S provides a larger central clear zone and can be considered when easier adaptation is required.
What does the evidence show?
MyoCare now has particularly useful evidence because it has been investigated in separate randomised clinical trials involving both Asian and European children.
In a two-year Chinese randomised clinical trial, MyoCare reduced progression by approximately 0.44 D and 0.20 mm of axial elongation compared with single-vision lenses.
More recently, a two-year European randomised controlled trial found:
Myopia progression
- MyoCare: −0.32 D
- Single vision: −0.69 D
Axial growth
- MyoCare: 0.21 mm
- Single vision: 0.43 mm
The study also found substantially fewer rapid progressors among children wearing MyoCare.
Why we might consider ZEISS MyoCare:
A well-designed spectacle option with increasingly strong peer-reviewed evidence across different populations and the flexibility of more than one treatment-zone design.
Stellest 2.0 vs MiYOSMART iQ vs MyoCare: which is best?
There isn't one myopia management spectacle lens that is automatically best for every child.
All three technologies are designed to provide clear vision while slowing myopia progression, and all are supported by clinical research. There are differences in optical design, treatment-zone configuration, prescription availability, adaptation and the maturity of the evidence behind the newest versions.
At Illume, our recommendation is based on the individual child rather than simply choosing a brand. We consider:
- your child's age
- current prescription
- previous prescription changes
- axial length and rate of eye growth
- family history of myopia
- age at which myopia first developed
- astigmatism and prescription requirements
- previous myopia management
- lifestyle, sport and daily activities
- frame size and facial fit
- likely wearing time
- how your child responds to treatment over time.
For some children, spectacle lenses are an ideal standalone treatment. For others, we may discuss alternatives such as orthokeratology, myopia management contact lenses or low-dose atropine, or occasionally combination treatment when progression remains higher than expected.
Why do we measure axial length?
A glasses prescription tells us how short-sighted your child is.
Axial length tells us how long the eye is.
Because excessive elongation of the eye is the structural change underlying most childhood myopia progression, monitoring axial length provides an additional objective way to assess whether treatment is working.
At Illume Eye Care, axial length measurement forms part of our comprehensive approach to myopia management.
Rather than waiting until a child's glasses prescription has changed significantly, we can monitor changes in eye growth over time and adjust management where appropriate.
Current International Myopia Institute guidance recognises axial length alongside cycloplegic refraction as an important measure when monitoring myopia management.
How long should my child wear myopia management glasses each day?
Myopia management spectacle lenses should generally be worn full-time.
Ideally, they become your child's everyday glasses — worn from morning until bedtime.
Consistent wear matters because the treatment effect is only being delivered while the lenses are being worn. Studies of myopia management spectacle lenses have commonly involved approximately 12 hours or more of daily wear, and evidence from Stellest research suggests greater treatment efficacy with longer daily wearing time.
We recommend:
- wear the glasses every day
- use them for school, homework, screens and general activities
- wear them outdoors as well as indoors
- avoid routinely swapping back to ordinary single-vision glasses
- return if the frame becomes loose, crooked or begins slipping
- attend scheduled myopia reviews so treatment response can be monitored.
Your optometrist will advise if your child's individual circumstances require something different.
Choosing the right frame for myopia management lenses
You’ve decided that myopia management glasses are the best option for your child. The next step is finding a frame they’ll be happy to wear every day.
At Illume Eye Care, we fit a range of evidence-based myopia management spectacle lenses, including Stellest 2.0, MiYOSMART iQ and ZEISS MyoCare. These lenses don’t just correct your child’s short-sightedness — their specialised optical designs are also intended to help slow myopia progression and excessive eye growth.
With ordinary glasses, frame choice is largely about appearance, comfort and prescription. With myopia management spectacle lenses, frame fit is also an important part of treatment.
The lenses contain precisely positioned optical treatment zones, so the frame needs to sit securely and consistently in the correct position.
Why doesn't Illume sell children's frames?
We deliberately don’t sell spectacle frames at Illume.
There are so many fantastic eyewear stores and children's frame ranges available across Auckland, and every child has different tastes, facial features and comfort needs.
Most importantly, we want your child to find a frame they genuinely love and want to wear.
Consistent wear is important in myopia management, so involving your child in choosing their glasses can make a real difference. Let them explore colours, shapes and styles that suit their personality.
Once you’ve found a frame you both love, bring the frame, and your child, back to Illume before the lenses are ordered. We’ll check that it is suitable for their chosen myopia management lens, assess the fit and take the precise measurements needed.
What should you look for in a myopia management frame?
Style & confidence
Your child is going to be wearing these glasses a lot, so they should feel good about them.
- Involve your child in choosing their frame.
- Let them explore colours and styles they enjoy.
- Avoid choosing a frame simply because they may “grow into it”.
A frame your child loves is much more likely to be a frame they actually wear.
Fit & comfort
A good frame should:
- Sit straight and level rather than tilting or slipping down the nose.
- Sit relatively close to the eyes rather than projecting a long way forward.
- Have a bridge that fits securely without uncomfortable pressure, large gaps or frequent slipping.
- Have temples (arms) that fit comfortably around the ears without pinching.
- Remain stable when your child looks down, moves around or is active.
If the frame continually slips, the position of the treatment zones relative to your child's eyes can also change.
Position of the eyes within the frame
Accurate lens positioning is particularly important with myopia management spectacle lenses.
Ideally, your child's eyes should be well positioned within the frame both horizontally and vertically, with enough lens area around the pupil for the treatment design to function as intended.
Very shallow frames, unusually oversized frames or frames where the eyes sit very high or low may not be suitable for every myopia management lens design. The exact fitting requirements vary between Stellest 2.0, MiYOSMART iQ and ZEISS MyoCare.
Lens size & shape
Choose a frame that provides a good field of vision without encouraging your child to look over or around the lenses.
We generally want:
- adequate lens depth above and below the pupil
- good horizontal centration
- enough space for the treatment zones required by the selected lens design
- a frame that is appropriately sized for your child's face.
Bigger is not necessarily better. An oversized frame can be less stable and make accurate lens positioning more difficult.
Durability & safety
Children's glasses need to cope with school, sport and everyday life.
Look for:
- lightweight, durable materials
- good-quality hinges
- frames that feel stable rather than flimsy
- materials appropriate for your child's activities.
Comfort matters too. Even the most durable frame isn't useful if your child doesn't want to wear it.
Once you've found the right frame
Bring your child and their chosen frame back to Illume before we order their myopia management lenses. We will:
- check that the frame is suitable for the recommended lens design
- assess how it sits on your child's face
- make any appropriate adjustments
- take precise horizontal and vertical fitting measurements
- order their myopia management lenses
- check the finished glasses carefully when they are dispensed.
We'll then continue to monitor your child's vision, prescription and axial eye growth at their scheduled myopia management reviews.
The goal is a pair of glasses that fits properly, provides clear vision, delivers the intended myopia management treatment — and, just as importantly, is a pair your child is happy to wear every day.
Help your child's myopia treatment work as well as possible
Spectacle lenses are only one part of good myopia management.
We also recommend healthy visual habits, including:
Spend time outdoors
Aim for approximately two hours outdoors each day where practical. Outdoor exposure has particularly strong evidence for reducing the risk of developing myopia and remains an important part of healthy childhood visual behaviour.
Avoid very close reading distances
Encourage books, tablets and other near tasks to be held at a comfortable distance rather than consistently closer than approximately 20 cm.
Break up prolonged near work
Regularly change focus, look into the distance and take breaks during long periods of homework, reading or screen use.
Keep wearing the treatment
A technically excellent myopia lens cannot work while it is sitting in the school bag.
Attend regular reviews
Myopia management is an ongoing process rather than a one-off prescription.
How often will my child's myopia be reviewed?
Most children undergoing active myopia management should be reviewed approximately every three to six months, although we may recommend a different interval depending on age, progression and treatment. At review visits we can assess:
- vision
- prescription changes
- axial length
- eye health
- frame and lens positioning
- treatment adherence
- lifestyle and visual habits
- whether the current strategy is controlling progression sufficiently.
A child who continues to progress despite treatment does not necessarily mean that the treatment has “failed”. Younger eyes naturally tend to grow faster, and treatment response varies between individuals.
Instead, we look at how much progression has occurred, how the axial length is changing and whether the management plan should be modified or intensified.
Myopia Management Spectacle Lens FAQs
Do myopia management glasses cure myopia?
No. Myopia management spectacles do not reverse or cure existing myopia. They correct blurred vision while aiming to slow further progression and excessive eye growth.
Are myopia management glasses better than normal glasses for children with progressing myopia?
Standard single-vision glasses correct the blur caused by myopia but are not designed to slow its progression. Modern myopia management spectacle lenses provide clear vision while also delivering an optical treatment signal designed to reduce progression.
For a child with progressive myopia, this can make them a very useful alternative to conventional glasses.
At what age can children start myopia management glasses?
Treatment can be considered as soon as myopia is identified and the child is suitable for treatment. Younger age at onset is one of the strongest predictors of faster progression, so early assessment is particularly important.
The appropriate lens depends on the child's age, prescription, progression, ocular measurements and the manufacturer's treatment parameters.
Will my child notice the treatment areas in the lenses?
Most children adapt quickly.
The specialised treatment structures may cause mild awareness of blur or visual changes away from the central viewing area initially, but modern lens designs are intended to maintain good everyday vision.
For example, ZEISS reports that 95% of children in its MyoCare studies adapted within three days, while research with D.I.M.S. lenses has also demonstrated good visual function and low levels of persistent visual symptoms.
Can my child play sport in myopia management glasses?
Yes. For many children they can be worn for everyday activities and sport, provided the frame is appropriate and safe for that activity.
For high-impact or water-based sport, we may discuss alternative options such as sports eyewear or contact lens-based myopia management.
Can myopia management spectacle lenses be combined with atropine?
Sometimes.
Combination treatment may be considered when progression remains faster than expected despite one treatment alone or when a child has a particularly high-risk profile.
This should be decided individually rather than automatically combining treatments for every child.
Does my child still need myopia reviews if the prescription hasn't changed?
Yes.
Prescription change is only one measure of myopia progression. Axial length can provide additional information about how the eye itself is growing, which is why regular monitoring remains important even when your child's vision appears stable.
Myopia Management Glasses in Ponsonby, Auckland
At Illume Eye Care, myopia management is about more than prescribing a pair of glasses. Our comprehensive myopia consultations evaluate your child's:
- current and previous prescriptions
- axial length
- eye health
- family and individual risk factors
- visual function
- lifestyle
- likely rate of progression.
We can then discuss the advantages and limitations of the available evidence-based options, including Essilor Stellest 2.0, HOYA MiYOSMART iQ and ZEISS MyoCare, alongside other treatments such as orthokeratology, myopia management contact lenses and atropine.
Our aim is to recommend the treatment that makes the most sense for your child, and then objectively monitor how well it is working.
Concerned that your child's short-sightedness is getting worse?
Book a Myopia Management Consultation at Illume Eye Care in Ponsonby, Auckland for a comprehensive assessment and personalised management plan.
Time to Book a Myopia Management Consultation?
Key References
- International Myopia Institute. IMI Clinical Management Myopia Guidelines Report. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019.
- International Myopia Institute. Interventions for Controlling Myopia Onset and Progression / Clinical Management update. 2025.
- Haarman AEG, et al. The complications of myopia: a review and meta-analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020.
- Lam CSY, et al. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomised clinical trial. Br J Ophthalmol. 2020;104:363–368.
- Shen J, et al. Spectacle Lenses With Highly Aspherical Lenslets for Myopia Control: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Ophthalmology. 2026.
- Chen X, et al. Efficacy of Cylindrical Annular Refractive Elements Spectacle Lenses in Slowing Myopia Progression Over 2 Years. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025.
- Alvarez-Peregrina C, et al. Two-Year Efficacy of Cylindrical Annular Refractive Elements Spectacle Lenses for Myopia Control in European Children. Ophthalmology Science. 2026.
- Tse DYY, et al. Myopia Control Efficacy of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments Spectacle Lens with Triple Enhanced Design: a 12-month randomized controlled trial. IOVS / ARVO. 2026.
