EssilorLuxottica Pushes Deeper Into Smart Eyewear as Myopia Lens Data Match a Full Year in Six Months
Published on 09/26/2026 at 16:40 | Editorial boerse-global.de
EssilorLuxottica used this week's Meta Connect conference to roll out the next generation of its connected eyewear, unveiling a slate of new frames and an expanded artificial-intelligence lineup alongside plans to sell the devices in ten additional countries.
The Thursday presentation centered on the third generation of the Ray-Ban Meta, a new audio-only range called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, and the Capri and Nova frames. Two further models designed by LISA join the collection, part of an effort to pair fashion-forward styling with digital capability. The assistant Muse will deliver expanded digital functions directly through the glasses, pushing applications further into the wearer's field of view.
Geographic Footprint Widens
Distribution is expanding in step with the product range. The connected glasses will reach Poland, Portugal, Israel and South Africa, while the Asia-Pacific region adds Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Philippines. The additions mark a clear broadening of the company's technology platform beyond its established markets.
For the Paris-based group, refreshing the lineup at a steady clip is central to defending its position in connected eyewear. Conventional vision correction remains the foundation of the business, but the smart-frame partnership is treated as a strategic growth engine, and the extra frames are meant to draw in shoppers who are not early technology adopters.
Stellest 2.0 Delivers Full-Year Effect in Half the Time
Progress on the medical side of the house arrived two days earlier. On Tuesday the company published six-month interim results from a clinical study in China of its Essilor Stellest 2.0 lenses in myopic children.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying EssilorLuxottica?
The lenses produced an average treatment effect of 0.51 diopters in slowing myopia progression, with a 0.21-millimeter effect on axial elongation — the lengthening of the eye. According to the company, those half-year figures already match what the first generation of Stellest lenses achieved only after twelve months.
The data carry considerable strategic weight. Treatments targeting short-sightedness in young people are viewed worldwide as a growing market, and the results bolster EssilorLuxottica's hand in its core Asian markets while raising the technological bar for rivals in ophthalmic optics.
Buybacks Continue Against a Weak Tape
Management has been leaning on existing shareholder authorizations to support the stock through repurchases, buying its own shares on several occasions in September. The transactions under the program approved on April 28 landed in a difficult market.
The shares closed Friday at EUR 144.80, down 0.3% on the day. For the year to date, the stock has lost 47%.
Leadership Rift Simmers
The operational push comes amid internal friction. Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio stepped down at the end of August from his roles as chairman of Ray-Ban and chief strategy officer of the group.
In his resignation letter to CEO Francesco Milleri and the leadership team, he described the company's management as distant and impersonal and called for staff to be more closely involved. The board responded with a statement closing ranks behind Milleri, reaffirming its confidence in the group's long-term strategy.
EssilorLuxottica, for its part, is pressing ahead with the execution of that strategy despite the internal debate.
Ad
EssilorLuxottica Stock: New Analysis - 26 September
Fresh EssilorLuxottica information released. What's the impact for investors? Our latest independent report examines recent figures and market trends.
