(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, FR — EssilorLuxottica, Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild, Inria, InSimo, IMT and Institut de la Vision have joined forces to launch PREMYOM (Prise en charge et Ralentissement de l’Epidémie de MYopie par l’Optique Médicale). This five-year research and innovation project aims to set a new standard in the med-tech dimension with personalized myopia treatment through medical optics.
Bringing together technical, clinical and digital expertise from leading healthcare, research and industry organizations, PREMYOM will provide a better understanding of the clinical and biological mechanisms behind myopia progression to deliver advanced, personalized ophthalmic solutions tailored to individual needs. This joint effort underscores the importance of addressing children’s visual health and tackling myopia progression as a major public health priority.
PREMYOM’s mission is to support the development of highly personalized lenses that effectively slow down myopia progression in children and make these solutions widely accessible. Led by EssilorLuxottica, the initiative will tap into cutting-edge research on retinal biology, large-scale cohort studies, clinical trials and big data analytics. It will also leverage advanced digital modeling and biomechanical simulation of the myopic eye, innovative optical concepts as well as next-generation lens manufacturing technologies and optometry instruments.
Thierry Villette, Partnerships and Science Outreach Director at EssilorLuxottica and Project Director of PREMYOM, commented: “EssilorLuxottica is proud to lead this unique concentration of know-how, intellectual and experimental firepower represented in PREMYOM. Focused on myopia among children, one of the most urgent challenges in ophthalmology, PREMYOM will make the difference. From simple vision correction to the personalized optical therapy and journey, from empirical understanding to digital modeling, and from third-party data to the largest myopia cohort in the Western world – these elements define PREMYOM’s ambition and commitment.”
By 2050, myopia will affect an estimated 4.7 billion people – over half of the world’s population – up from 2.8 billion today. This condition significantly impairs vision quality and heightens the risk of severe eye diseases, such as glaucoma and retinal detachment, later in life. Even more concerning, one billion people are projected to experience high myopia (greater than -6 diopters) by 2050, significantly raising the risk of blindness.
