The Korea Optometric Association announced on the 27th that Davich Optical Chain, Essilor Korea, CooperVision, and Somo Vision Care held a functional lens conference on November 20-21 at the COEX Grand Auditorium and the first-floor exhibition hall in Magok, Seoul, to propose solutions for presbyopia and myopia suppression.

This event featured various companies presenting on functional lenses to address the growing presbyopic population. Presbyopia is a condition where the ability to focus on nearby objects declines due to decreased lens elasticity, affecting a significant portion of South Korea's approximately 51.68 million population. The increase in digital device usage and the expansion of the population engaged in close-range work are analyzed as accelerating the growth of the presbyopic population.

The first presenter, Hoya Lens Korea, noted that "presbyopia symptoms are increasing even among the younger 30-45 age group," and explained the concept of 'slow aging,' which delays presbyopia symptoms, along with binocular imbalance harmony technology, which can be difficult to adapt to initially. They also introduced the Visu Pro lens, which applies this technology.

Essilor Korea presented on the Varilux XR lens, a premium progressive lens incorporating AI technology based on user behavior recognition. This lens is designed to suit the visual lifestyle of modern people accustomed to digital device usage.

Somo Vision Care explained the design of freeform progressive lenses that reflect visual changes in the elderly, introducing advanced technology that precisely incorporates individual visual data to provide optimal vision. Somo Vision Care's education team leader, Son Young-hyun, stated, "Accurate prescription of addition power is key to alleviating visual discomfort in presbyopic patients."

Davich Optical emphasized, "With the entry into a super-aged society, the presbyopic population is rapidly increasing, yet the wearing rate of progressive lenses for presbyopia correction is only 11%. This is significantly lower compared to advanced countries like France, the United States, and Japan, and the industry must collaborate to actively promote functional lenses and presbyopia solutions."

The final presentation by CooperVision highlighted the excellence of the 'MiSight 1day' soft lenses, the first to receive FDA approval for pediatric myopia management, and the 'MyDay 1day Multifocal' multifocal contact lenses scheduled for release next year. Kim Dong-pil, CooperVision's academic support team leader, explained that the BPS technology will provide presbyopic customers with comfortable wear and clear vision.

Presbyopia symptoms can be improved through progressive multifocal lenses, but there are many cases of maladaptation due to differences in comfort compared to single-vision lenses initially. The industry is helping customers adapt by launching a variety of personalized progressive multifocal eyeglass lenses and multifocal contact lenses.

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