"Because of my job I have to look at dual monitors all day, but lately text on the monitor or restaurant menus hasn't looked sharp, so I took a day off to come here." (a person surnamed Kim, 28)
"Both my parents developed presbyopia early, so I was worried. Now when I try to read a book, nearby letters look blurry, so I came to find a solution." (a person surnamed Hong, 42)
At 9:40 a.m. on the 21st, a large crowd gathered in front of the first-floor exhibition hall at Coex Magok in Gangseo District, Seoul, to attend the "functional lens conference on vision correction and presbyopia," held alongside the "Korea International Optical & Photonics Exhibition (KIOF)."
As smartphone and laptop use has increased recently and the onset of presbyopia has been getting earlier, participation by younger people in their 20s to 40s stood out as well as that of older adults.
◇ Surge in early presbyopia… urgent need to ease inconvenience with "progressive lenses"
Presbyopia is a condition in which decreased lens elasticity makes nearby text look blurry and increases eye fatigue, and a significant share of people in Korea experience it.
By 2050, the global middle-aged population with presbyopia is expected to double. It typically becomes pronounced after the 40s, but early onset is also increasing due to prolonged near work, excessive use of digital devices, genetic factors, high myopia or astigmatism, and lifestyle issues.
If nearby text is hard to see or it is difficult to focus, and if eye fatigue is severe when reading or using a smartphone, presbyopia may be suspected. These symptoms can lead not only to decreased vision but also to secondary discomfort such as headaches, reduced concentration, and stiff shoulders.
Progressive lenses, a type of functional eyeglass lens that arranges powers progressively within a single lens, are most commonly used to correct presbyopia, but many people experience maladaptation such as dizziness and blurred vision. To address this, several lens-specialized corporations are developing customized progressive lenses and improved products.
At the conference, lens companies such as Hoya Lens Korea, Essilor Korea, SOMO Vision Care, and Davich Optical Co. introduced solutions to address presbyopia and near-vision problems and to meet the needs of modern people who require clear vision at various distances.
◇ "Solve presbyopia and myopia with next-generation customized progressive lenses… minimize discomfort"
Im Hyun-gyu, Head of Team at Hoya Lens Korea's education team, said, "With functional lenses, users may experience binocular imbalance and fatigue during near use," adding, "The eyes perform a cyclorotation while maintaining a constant distance and angle with the eyeglass lens, and using the optical center for near function is essential. This was fine with single-vision lenses, but with functional lenses users may feel discomfort."
As a solution, Head of Team Im introduced "binocular harmonization technology (BHT)." Im said, "VisuPRO with BHT provides a clear field of view despite binocular differences and reduces binocular accommodation differences that can occur in the lower part of the lens, minimizing the sense of unfamiliarity when first wearing functional lenses," and added, "VisuPRO consists of two types—'All Day' for a clear distance zone and 'Flex' for clear intermediate and near zones—and five power types."
Global eyeglass lens corporations Essilor also took part in the conference. Essilor, which in 1959 developed Varilux, the world's first progressive lens brand, introduced the Varilux XR series, the first visually responsive progressive lenses that apply artificial intelligence (AI) behavioral pattern analysis technology.
Oh Eun-hye, Head of Team at Essilor Korea's education team, explained, "XR-MOTION analyzes users' lines of sight and behavior with AI to provide a clear view even in situations with a lot of movement, and Nanoptix reduces distortion and unnaturalness that can occur when wearing lenses to enhance comfort," adding, "Xtend expands the field of view within arm's reach to help users see objects at various distances—such as smartphones, laptops, and TVs—with a single gaze."
Head of Team Oh also introduced Stellest eyeglass lenses that address myopia in infants and young children. Oh said, "Myopia is a chronic condition, and high myopia increases the risk of eye diseases such as macular degeneration, retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma," adding, "Existing progressive or bifocal lenses, orthokeratology lenses, and atropine had limitations in improving myopia."
Stellest applies highly aspherical lenslet technology (HALT), and when worn 12 hours daily, it reduced the rate of myopia progression by 67% compared with single-vision lenses.
In the afternoon conference, SOMO Vision Care and CooperVision Korea introduced solutions that improve near vision, wearing comfort, and clarity for presbyopia patients through customized lens designs and multifocal contact lenses.
Son Young-hyun, Head of Team at SOMO Vision Care's education team, focused on understanding customized lens technologies such as free-form design, lens mapping analysis, and accurate addition power prescriptions. Head of Team Son explained, "Free-form design provides an optimal field of view by reflecting individual visual data, and lens mapping is an important tool that objectively evaluates quality by analyzing the lens surface and power distribution."
Kim Dong-pil, Head of Team at CooperVision Korea's education team, introduced presbyopia management using multifocal contact lenses. Head of Team Kim said, "The multifocal contact lens market has high growth potential, and the binocular progressive sight optimization system (BPS) technology in the MyDay Multifocal lenses slated for release next year will provide comfortable wear and a clear field of view."