Going ‘bananas’ for Gen S

Two studies showing similar positive results for the Gen S prescription index 1.6 lens compared to a 1.6 index clear lens, combined with in-house testing, have sparked claims from lens manufacturer, Transitions Optical. The company’s latest innovation, Gen S, promises to “redefine wearers’ visual performance” and revolutionise the lens category by setting a new standard for prescription lenses, it said.

The randomised controlled study of 30 healthy subjects, led by Professor Billy Hammond from the Vision Sciences Laboratory at the University of Georgia, US, examined Gen S’ performance, measuring the impact of light stress (discomfort, glare and photo stress recovery) on visual quality. The research team found visual quality improved, especially in challenging light conditions in subjects wearing the grey Gen S index 1.6 lens (39% faster from intense bright light) compared with a standard 1.6 index clear lens with a premium anti-reflective coating.

Similarly, a Spanish study, led by Professor Pablo Artal from the University of Murcia, found there was 39.5% improved contrast sensitivity and 40% faster vision recovery during fade-back in the Gen S compared to a Gen 8 lens.

Brian O’Neill, Transitions global vice president, innovation, technology and operations, passionately backs the new product. “I’ve been wearing the Gen S lens for about 18 months now and, genuinely, it's just stunningly good. It is as close to perfection as it gets and the world is going bananas for this product.”

Transitions is not comparing Gen S to Gen 8 or Gen 7 or any of their competitors, said O’Neill. “Our aspiration is to replace every clear lens there is in the world with Gen S. Because why would you want a clear lens that only focuses on visual acuity and not visual quality when you can have both? It's totally different to any way we have ever positioned or even thought about our product before.”

A shift in mindset is required to talk about Gen S, both internally and in the industry, agreed Stuart Cannon, Transitions general manager Asia Pacific. “We have never built a visual enhancement system before, but this is it.”

When asked why Transitions hadn’t done this before, O’Neill said, “Because it wasn't possible before. How we've made it possible is through synergies of not just the dye chemistry, the matrix chemistry or the colour chemistry, but a whole bunch of secret sauce. And, given the path we’ve set out, the industry would be mad not to follow.”

However, that will be easier said than done, he said. “The development of Gen S has touched more than 1,000 people across EssilorLuxottica (Transitions’ owner). We had to change how we manufacture this product to give it the performance parameters it has. It's been a full end-to-end effort within the group and it's the very first product we've built with the EssilorLuxottica focus, competence and capability. It provided us with tools we never had before.”

Fully clear indoors, Gen S darkens in seconds outside, said the company. When fully activated, the lens is as dark as a sun lens and fades back to clear in about two minutes, which is up to two times faster than the Gen 8 (grey lens), it reported. In one of Transitions’ own consumer trials, 88% of wearers agreed the Gen S lens adapted so fast to light that they either didn’t or barely noticed the change. Transitions Gen S also blocks 100% UVA and UVB rays, filters up to 32% of blue-violet light indoors and up to 85% outdoors. It is available in eight colours with new addition Ruby, inspired by Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2023.