ESSILOR has launched the Varilux Challenge as a way of demonstrating how wearing high-quality progressive lenses impacts not only vision but also patient sentiments toward their eyecare professionals.

An Essilor spokesperson explains: “The Varilux Challenge is simple: We know that for presbyopic patients, ‘good enough’ is not good enough and that seeing an eyecare professional (ECP) to be fit with the highest quality progressive lenses makes a huge difference for their vision. The Challenge is a great way to show ECPs that patients, if given Varilux lenses, know this too.”

Essilor conducted a focus group, pictured above, to demonstrate through true patient stories that Varilux lenses have real, tangible impact on their vision and their lives. The company notes that patients credit ECPs for the quality of their vision or blame them when their vision is sub-par.

Varilux Challenge focus group revealed “stunning results,” according to Essilor. “We took a group of progressive wearers out of their old lenses and put them in Varilux lenses for the first time, and they could see the difference from the moment they made the switch,” the spokesperson tells 20/20.

She says the lens maker is committing to the Challenge because “we understand that growing competition from online retailers means a growing need for ECPs to retain business and show the value of high-quality service and product.”

Essilor invites eyecare professionals to see this for themselves by watching videos of real patients viewing the world through their new Varilux lenses for the first time; then a week later, including how their experiences changed the way they feel about their eyecare professional.

“It’s important for eyecare professionals to know the difference in patient satisfaction between Varilux and other PALs, because when patients are unhappy with their PAL experience, they tend to blame their eye doctor for not prescribing the superior lens,” the spokesperson says. To watch the videos, visit variluxchallenge.com.

Essilor also invites ECPs to make their own videos of patients to whom they have dispensed Varilux lenses and share the video with others who visit the site.

The Varilux Challenge ties into Essilor’s Next Gen Offer, which makes Varilux lenses more accessible to patients.

–Andrew Karp