EssilorLuxottica's Dual Bet: Myopia Lenses Advance as Smart-Glass Scrutiny Mounts
Published on 09/26/2026 at 15:31 | Editorial boerse-global.de
EssilorLuxottica is pushing ahead on two fronts that rarely sit comfortably together — medical eyewear designed to slow a child's worsening eyesight, and camera-and-microphone-equipped frames that have drawn the attention of French authorities.
On the medical side, the Paris-based group released interim results Tuesday from an ongoing randomized, double-blind clinical trial in China evaluating its Essilor Stellest 2.0 lenses, developed specifically to curb the progression of nearsightedness in children. At the six-month mark, the lenses delivered a clear therapeutic effect versus conventional single-vision spectacles: myopia progression slowed by an average of 0.51 diopters, while the mean effect on axial elongation of the eye reached 0.21 millimeters. According to the company, those half-year figures already match the results the first generation of Stellest lenses achieved only after twelve months.
Management views myopia control as a significant future market, one intended to shield young patients from later complications of the eye. Building out this core business is part of a broader effort to secure a stable earnings base that is less exposed to the swings of fashion cycles — a priority that carries particular weight in Asia, where slowing progressive myopia is regarded as a key growth segment in ophthalmic optics.
Regulatory Headwinds in France
Pressure is simultaneously building on the group's other growth engine. Reuters reported that French prosecutors and the country's data-protection watchdog have opened inquiries following complaints alleging sexual harassment linked to smart glasses. The reviews cover the entire connected-eyewear category, which includes the co-branded products made with Meta Platforms.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying EssilorLuxottica?
The regulatory attention has not slowed the partners' hardware ambitions. Alongside the third generation of Ray-Ban Meta, the two companies unveiled the Ray-Ban Meta Audio line. By year-end, the collaborators are targeting more than 100 distinct style variants. For the U.S. market, they also announced the later introduction of a regulatory-cleared software feature to improve hearing for adults.
Marrying eyewear with artificial intelligence remains a prestige pillar for the company. Even so, the pushback from French authorities underscores just how sensitively the public reacts to cameras and microphones embedded in everyday objects.
Buyback, Boardroom Ripples and a Bruised Share Price
Faced with a weak share price, EssilorLuxottica bought back its own stock on September 18. Acting under a resolution passed at the annual general meeting, the company repurchased 287,000 of its own shares at a volume-weighted average price of EUR 139.2931 apiece. The move signals management's confidence in the group's long-term value, though for investors the message cuts both ways — the market is chiefly waiting for clear operational momentum.
The stock has felt the difficult trading environment keenly. It closed Friday at EUR 144.80, leaving it down 47 percent since the start of the year and only marginally above its 52-week low of EUR 138.00.
The corporate backdrop has been unsettled on the personnel front as well. Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio stepped down from his roles as Ray-Ban chairman and chief strategy officer effective August 31, criticizing management at the time as aloof and calling for staff to be given a greater voice.
None of this has diverted EssilorLuxottica from executing its strategy. The group's most recent transactions were carried out under a buyback program approved on April 28, and its retail reach continues to widen. New frame styles span the Capri and Nova lines, joined by two new models designed by LISA, as the company pairs fashionable design with digital functionality. The connected-eyewear range is also entering ten additional markets: Poland, Portugal, Israel and South Africa, plus Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia and the Philippines across Asia-Pacific — a marked expansion of the geographic footprint of its technology platform.
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