Essilor Launches Varilux Physio Extensee Progressive Lenses

Top Line: Essilor presents its first Varilux progressive lens developed using a dynamic replica of the human pupil to offer high vision intensity in any light for extra visual sharpness and contrast, the company announced.  Close Up: Beginning July 21, the Varilux Physio extensee will be offered on a new patented dual-sided blank, and Varilux Physio extensee Classic Edition (CE) will be offered as a full backside digital progressive. Both are designed to provide optimized correction for each wearer’s pupil dynamics to reduce high-order aberrations and cater to a wide range of presbyopes, Essilor said. These new mid-tier offerings in the Varilux progressive lens portfolio are powered by the Varilux AI twinning technology and pupil-variation predicting. To date, Essilor said, the Varilux XR series remains the best progressive lens solution in the Varilux portfolio. “When the size of the pupil increases, the light beam entering the eye crosses a bigger portion of the lens. As a result, it can contain more high-order aberrations and induce a loss in image quality,” said Sébastien Fricker, vision and perception modelling team manager, EssilorLuxottica. “Therefore, accounting for pupil-size variation in lens design is key for maximizing contrast perception and visual performance for wearers.”   Technological advancements in the Varilux Physio extensee and Varilux Physio extensee CE include Pupilizer lens technology and Synchroneyes lens technology. Pupilizer lens technology uses a state-of-the-art dynamic pupil model that integrates multiple studies and datasets to describe and detail pupil size variation, according to Essilor. With this comprehensive dynamic pupil model, Varilux AI twinning technology replicates thousands of wearer profiles and then analyzes this data to predict wearers’ pupil size variation, resulting in Pupilizer lens technology. Pupilizer lens technology is built into the Varilux Physio extensee progressive lens to reduce high order aberrations and minimize distortion when light passes the lens, Essilor said. By associating a prescription to a predicted pupil dynamism profile, the lens can be produced to closely match the wearer’s daily, real-life pupil variations. Synchroneyes lens technology enhances management of binocular vision. According to Essilor, the technology balances the left and right lenses’ designs to match power distributions and patterns of unwanted astigmatism and allows for a wider field of vision. Dual Booster lens surface technology, available on the Varilux Physio extensee lens version, helps optimize near vision. It is carefully engineered between the back and front surfaces of the lens to provide a magnification effect in the near vision zone without impacting the aesthetic of the lens or the overall progressive power, Essilor said. This dual surface provides a high quality of vision at near distance to aid with tasks like reading fine print. Vital Stats: According to Essilor, a real-life consumer study carried out by an independent institute on 79 progressive lens wearers equipped with Varilux Physio extensee and Varilux Physio extensee CE lenses in their daily lives showed that 94 percent experienced high vision intensity in any light, and 92 percent felt confident in low light conditions. In addition, wearers equipped with Varilux Physio extensee and Dual Booster technology showed that 96 percent experienced a high quality of vision at near.  Varilux Physio extensee progressive lenses can now also include Near Vision Behavior measurement, which personalizes the near vision zone by adjusting its position and size. Essilor reports that 71 percent of wearers easily accessed the near vision zone and 78 percent of wearers experienced extra comfortable vision during a long task in near vision. www.essilor.com