Are Essilor Lenses Good? Review of Pros and Cons
Analysis of Essilor lenses (France): optical technology, pros and cons, and user reviews. Compare Essilor with other brands to help you choose the right lenses.
Optometrist Vũ Văn Tiệp
October 30, 2025
Are Essilor Lenses Good? Detailed Review
Essilor is a globally renowned French lens brand. With advanced technologies like Crizal and Varilux, many people wonder if Essilor lenses are worth the price. This article provides a detailed assessment of the pros and cons of Essilor to help you make an informed decision.
Introduction to the Essilor Brand
Essilor is the world's largest lens corporation, headquartered in Paris, France. Established in 1849, Essilor is now part of the EssilorLuxottica group – which owns both Essilor, Luxottica (Ray-Ban, Oakley), and many other leading eyewear brands.
Essilor operates in over 100 countries, producing more than 500 million lenses annually. In Vietnam, Essilor is the most widely distributed lens brand, available in almost all reputable eyewear stores from major cities to rural areas.
Essilor Lens Technology
Crizal Coating
Crizal is Essilor's most distinctive and renowned coating technology, which includes several levels:
- Crizal Easy UV: Basic level, anti-reflective and UV protection.
- Crizal Alizé UV: Mid-level, adds water and dust resistance.
- Crizal Sapphire UV: High level, sapphire blue anti-reflective, more transparent.
- Crizal Rock: The highest level, best scratch resistance, dirt-repellent, multi-directional anti-reflective.
Crizal coating is regarded as the industry standard for anti-reflective coatings, supported by numerous studies and international certifications.
Transitions Photochromic Lenses
Essilor is the main distribution partner of Transitions – the world's most famous photochromic lens brand. Transitions lenses automatically darken in sunlight and become clear indoors, protecting the eyes from UV rays without needing to switch to sunglasses.
Current Transitions versions available:
- Transitions Signature GEN 8: Quick color change, many color options.
- Transitions XTRActive: Changes color even while driving (reacts to light through the windshield).
Varilux Progressive Lenses
Varilux is Essilor's leading line of progressive lenses, designed for presbyopic individuals (typically aged 40 and above). Varilux allows clear vision at all distances – far, intermediate, and near – within the same lens.
Popular versions include:
- Varilux Comfort: Standard line, easy to adapt.
- Varilux Physio: Mid-range, more natural vision.
- Varilux X Series: Premium line, wide vision at all distances.
Specialized Lenses
Essilor also offers many specialized lens lines:
- Eyezen: Lenses for heavy digital device users, reducing eye strain.
- Stellest: Myopia control lenses for children.
- Xperio: Polarized sunglasses lenses.
Advantages of Essilor Lenses
Excellent Optical Clarity
Essilor lenses provide sharp, natural images with low distortion. Advanced lens design technology (Wave Technology) optimizes vision at every point on the lens surface.
Leading Anti-Glare Coating
Crizal is the most trusted AR coating in the world. Its anti-reflective, dirt-repellent, and scratch-resistant capabilities surpass many competitors. Notably, Crizal Rock offers the highest scratch resistance currently available.
Diverse Product Ecosystem
Essilor has a very broad product range: from single vision lenses for young people to progressive lenses for the elderly, from blue light blocking lenses to photochromic lenses. Whatever your needs, Essilor has a solution.
Warranty and Wide Distribution
Essilor has a widespread distribution system in Vietnam with clear warranty policies. Each genuine lens comes with a verification code to check its origin.
Disadvantages of Essilor Lenses
High Price
Similar to Hoya, Essilor lenses are significantly more expensive than standard lenses. A pair of Essilor Crizal Alizé 1.60 lenses costs between 1,200,000 and 2,500,000 VND. Premium Varilux lenses can exceed 10,000,000 VND.
Lenses Sometimes Thicker than Hoya
At the same refractive index, some users report that Essilor lenses are slightly thicker than Hoya. However, this difference is very small and hard to notice with the naked eye.
Varilux Requires Adaptation Time
Varilux progressive lenses require very precise measurements (PD, fitting height, frame tilt) and users need 1-2 weeks to adapt. If the store does not measure accurately, the experience will be subpar.
Comparison of Essilor vs Hoya
| Criteria | Essilor | Hoya |
|---|---|---|
| AR Coating | Crizal (industry standard) | Super Hi-Vision (very good) |
| Photochromic Lenses | Transitions (most popular) | Sensity (less popular) |
| Progressive Lenses | Varilux (top tier) | iD MyStyle |
| Thin Lenses | Good | Very thin (slightly better) |
| Suitable for | People often in sunlight, need color change | People needing good AR, thin lenses |
| Distribution in VN | Very wide | More limited |
Advice
Choose Essilor if you:
- Need Transitions photochromic lenses – convenient for moving between indoors and outdoors.
- Need Varilux progressive lenses – designed for presbyopic individuals.
- Want easy availability with many distribution stores.
- Prefer a diverse product ecosystem with many upgrade options.
Explore genuine Essilor lenses at Kính Mắt Điện Biên Phủ – 529 3/2 Street, Vườn Lài Ward, Ho Chi Minh City and get free consultation today.
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