Are Myopia-Control Lenses Really Just ₩6,000?

01 · ORIGINAL REPORT

The 30-yuan figure was a wholesale quote; 1,980 yuan was a suggested retail reference

The story originated in the October 18 episode of CCTV’s Weekly Quality Report in China. Investigators visited the lens market in Danyang, Jiangsu Province, and found a pair of 1.56-index multipoint-defocus lenses for prescriptions up to −3.00 D offered at a wholesale price of 30 yuan.

A youth myopia-management product brochure displayed a retail reference price of 1,980 yuan for the corresponding stock lens. The numerical ratio between the two figures is 66 to one.

Wholesale price is the price of a business-to-business transaction. Manufacturing cost is the cost of production. The investigation did not establish a comprehensive manufacturing-cost figure, and a brochure’s suggested retail price is not proof that every buyer paid that amount.

The subsequent SBS article described 30 yuan as the lens’s “cost” and emphasized a 66-fold difference. That distinction matters: a gap between a wholesale quote and a reference price does not, by itself, establish a manufacturer’s or retailer’s profit margin, and it cannot be extrapolated to unrelated branded products.

02 · INVESTIGATION

Some manufacturers acknowledged they had not conducted clinical trials for the claimed effect

The CCTV investigation was not confined to price. It also examined product labeling, traceability and whether manufacturers could substantiate the advertised myopia-control effect.

A representative of Yifeng Eyewear (亿峰眼镜) reportedly acknowledged that the company had not conducted a clinical trial to verify the efficacy claimed for its products. At Boda Optical (博大光学), a representative said its optical structures were modeled on established brands and acknowledged: “We have not done clinical trials.”

An ordinary inspection of optical power or physical quality cannot substitute for a controlled study of progression over time. Some sellers could provide routine quality-test documents but not long-term clinical evidence for the claimed reduction in myopia progression.

The reporting also described poorly identified packaging, private-label practices and a separate case in which a different product was placed in the packaging of a well-known brand. These were distinct examples; the investigation did not establish that every 30-yuan lens suffered every alleged defect.

On October 18, the Danyang market regulator announced inspections of four businesses over labeling and false-advertising concerns and said the reported problems were broadly substantiated.

03 · VERIFICATION

Claims of myopia control require evidence for the specific lens

If a manufacturer has not conducted an appropriate clinical study, its claimed myopia-control efficacy has not been adequately established.

Copying the broad appearance of another company’s micro-optical structure does not transfer the clinical results of that company’s design. Lens geometry, distribution of optical elements, manufacturing consistency and real-world wear conditions all matter.

Myopia control also does not mean reversing existing myopia or stopping progression in every child. Studies commonly compare changes in refractive error and axial length with a group wearing ordinary single-vision lenses.

Children may still become more myopic while wearing a tested lens. Progression in an individual child is therefore not, by itself, evidence that the technology lacks efficacy.

04 · CLINICAL STUDIES

Randomized studies have evaluated the effect of specific myopia-control spectacle lenses

Essilor Stellest received U.S. FDA marketing authorization on September 25, 2025, for slowing myopia progression in eligible children. The U.S. randomized clinical study reviewed by the FDA enrolled 159 children aged 6–12 across nine sites.

After 24 months, compared with the single-vision control group, average myopia progression was reduced by 71% (a between-group difference of approximately 0.64 diopters), and axial elongation by 53% (approximately 0.24 mm). These are average group comparisons—not a claim that progression stopped in 71% of children.

The cylindrical annular refractive elements (CARE) technology used in ZEISS MyoCare was also studied in a multicenter randomized trial, published in 2025, involving 240 Chinese children aged 6–13 and comparing two CARE designs with ordinary single-vision lenses over two years.

For the CARE design, adjusted differences versus the single-vision group were 0.44 D less myopia progression and 0.20 mm less axial elongation. The CARE S design also showed less progression than the control group.

Because the studies differ in population, baseline characteristics and analytical methods, their numbers should not be used as a direct product ranking. What they establish is that clinical evidence exists for particular, studied myopia-control lenses.

05 · REGULATION & DISTRIBUTION

Clinical evidence, regulatory authorization and traceable distribution serve different purposes

A clinical study evaluates efficacy and safety under defined conditions. A regulatory authorization concerns a specific product, use and jurisdiction. Order, supply and warranty records help establish which product was actually delivered to a customer.

In March 2026, South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety created a separate medical-device category for myopia-progression-control spectacle lenses, item A77010.03. Creating a product category is not the same as authorizing every product on the market; product-specific records must be checked.

ZEISS describes VISUSTORE as a professional lens-ordering system that provides product selection and order-status information. It is one example of a traceable workflow, not proof that every product or market follows an identical route.

Checking the actual brand, model, order information and warranty documentation can help distinguish authorized products from cases involving relabeling or uncertain provenance. The 30-yuan wholesale figure does not establish the manufacturing cost or Korean retail margin of products made by ZEISS, Essilor or other manufacturers.

06 · CONSUMER CHECK

What should a family check if the child already wears myopia-control lenses?

There is no reason to conclude that a previously purchased lens is ineffective solely because of the reported problems at some Chinese suppliers. Begin by confirming the exact manufacturer, product model, purchase record and authenticity or warranty information.

For published clinical evidence, check the participants’ ages, prescription ranges, study duration, control group and outcomes. For regulatory status, check the authorization applicable to the specific product and country.

Myopia progression should still be monitored over time, including changes in prescription and axial length where measured, with attention to wear and fitting conditions. A single change in prescription does not on its own establish whether the expected population-level benefit was achieved.