Stellest Lenses for Kids in New Albany
Stellest is a glasses lens from Essilor that slows childhood myopia while giving your child clear everyday vision. The glasses look ordinary, and the tiny features that do the work are invisible at conversational distance.
Stellest is the first spectacle lens to receive FDA market authorization for slowing myopia progression in children. It slows progression. It does not stop it, and no treatment does.
To see Stellest set next to every other option side by side, our Myopia Management page covers all four treatments COVE fits.
How Stellest slows myopia.
Childhood myopia develops when the eye grows too long from front to back. As the eye lengthens, distance vision blurs and the prescription usually gets stronger.
Stellest uses H.A.L.T. technology, short for Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target. A clear zone in the center of the lens carries your child's prescription. More than a thousand tiny lenslets ring that center and create softly focused light in front of the retina, which signals the eye to slow its growth. The animation below shows how the parts work together.
In Essilor's clinical data, Stellest slowed myopia progression by 71% on average over two years compared with single-vision lenses.
Regular glasses, with the treatment built in.
Stellest lenses become your child's regular glasses. A child who cannot see clearly at distance should be wearing them essentially all the time, and full-time wear is what the treatment effect depends on.
For a child already in glasses, the routine stays exactly as it is. Same morning habit, same way the glasses feel on their face.
Whether Stellest suits your child is decided at a regular comprehensive eye exam, with no separate consultation to book and no extra fee.
Cost, insurance, and remakes.
A pair of Stellest lenses runs around $500 at COVE, plus the frame you choose. What your family actually pays depends heavily on your specific plan, so we check your benefits and confirm the real number with you rather than quoting one sight unseen.
VSP and EyeMed benefits can apply, and whatever a plan leaves is FSA and HSA eligible.
If your child's prescription changes by 0.50 D or more, we remake the Stellest lenses at no charge. That sits on top of our standard six-month no-charge remake when a prescription turns out to be off or changes.
We verify what we can in advance and confirm the final number together at the appointment, once we know the frame and the plan. Families without vision insurance should ask about COVE Plus, our flat-price program.
Myopia care at COVE.
COVE fits four myopia-control treatments: Stellest, MiSight 1 day contacts, ortho-k, and low-dose atropine. Our Myopia Management page compares all four, and our Orthokeratology page covers the custom overnight lenses in depth.
Stellest is a newer lens, and slowing myopia is something we've been doing at COVE for years. Dr. Kayli Dennis, Dr. Matthew Karres, and Dr. Amy Keller all fit it, and any of the three can start your child.
We are one office in New Albany, seeing families from New Albany, Gahanna, Westerville, Johnstown, and across Central Ohio. Full bios are on our meet the team page.
Frequently asked questions about Stellest.
Do Stellest lenses look different from regular glasses?
No. The lenslets are tiny and invisible at conversational distance, so the glasses look like any other pair to friends and classmates. Most kids adapt to the vision through them within the first few days.
How much should my child wear them?
Full time. These are your child's regular glasses, and the treatment effect depends on wearing them. A child who cannot see clearly at distance should have them on essentially all day.
Does Stellest stop myopia?
Stellest slows myopia progression. It does not stop it, and no treatment does. We also cannot promise a specific final prescription for any one child, which is why we recheck the numbers at every visit.
What will we actually pay?
Around $500 for the lens pair, plus the frame your child picks. Past that it genuinely depends on your insurance plan, so we check your specific benefits and confirm the number with you at the visit. Whatever a plan leaves is FSA and HSA eligible.
What happens if my child's prescription changes?
We remake the Stellest lenses at no charge when the prescription moves by 0.50 D or more. That is on top of our standard six-month no-charge remake if a prescription turns out to be off or changes. Some movement is expected even on treatment.
Can we use HSA or FSA funds for Stellest?
Yes. Stellest lenses are HSA and FSA eligible. Whatever your vision insurance does not cover can be paid with those funds, and we can run the numbers with you at the visit.
Efficacy figure: Essilor clinical data. Stellest slowed myopia progression by 71% on average over two years compared with single-vision lenses. FDA market authorization: FDA De Novo DEN250016.