Prescription Glasses Found to Boost Income in Developing Countries

A study from PLOS ONE saw an international team of health workers and vision specialists dispense reading spectacles to hundreds of workers in Bangladeshi villages. These were given to combat the effects of presbyopia on those 50 and up. After giving more than 800 pairs away, the team returned to check their progress after several months and found a significant income increase of around 38% for the group. Even those previously unable to work due to vision limitations could rejoin the workforce.

Along with this study, other efforts worldwide have also focused on providing developing countries access to vision correction. Eyewear provides an affordable means of improving quality of life, and the results are inarguable signs that putting greater focus on improving and making these resources available is a significant boon to communities.

The impact of vision on life

The impact of eyewear on health and wellness is clear, but it also plays a more prominent role in life as a whole. Affordable but well-made glasses have features that protect the eyes and ensure clear vision for various use cases. Even those at the lowest end of the price spectrum like Saint Lou glasses (retailing at around $9) come with anti-scratch lens coating and work with vision insurance, which covers the cost of prescription lenses. At the midrange, glasses wearers can apply lenses that offer blue light filtering, which protects your eyes from digital eye strain and reduces the harmful wavelengths of blue-violet light hitting your eye.

Prescription glasses are becoming a greater necessity for most of the population, not only because of age-related diseases but also because of environments that increase the likelihood of developing vision problems. Developing countries are often impacted by low vision from conditions that would usually be stemmed if treated early. As a result, there is a high prevalence of cataracts, glaucoma, and premature retinopathy. For instance, places like Sub-Saharan Africa see 110 million people suffering from some form of visual impairment. At the same time, India, the largest country in the world, leads in the number of blind and visually impaired people.

According to the World Health Organization, the annual global cost of vision impairment is estimated at $411 billion. Productivity loss affects those running small and medium enterprises and the working class who need these jobs. This applies to both labor-intensive work and office employment. According to a study from the Vision for Tomorrow Foundation, vision loss directly affects the individual’s ability to work or care for themselves. In turn, it significantly impacts quality of life as it trickles into both professional and recreational settings.

Employment opportunities also play a huge role in determining the overall well-being of those in developing countries. Access to healthcare and fulfillment become harder to attain without jobs that can only be maintained with a certain level of visual acuity.

Addressing the increasing need for vision care

As the world becomes increasingly digital, the need for better vision care for all ages is undeniable. Prevention and timely intervention are more crucial than ever as other economic factors drive the mental and physical maintenance of citizens of developing countries.

The good news is that confirmation of the improvements brought on by usable and affordable eyewear bodes well for support behind initiatives to bring these to lower-income populations. Aside from glasses, contact lenses are also viable solutions for vision care. According to a study from Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, using contacts to address myopia resulted in meaningful improvements to the quality of life for children and adults.

There are also efforts to restore lost sight to visually impaired individuals using optogenetics. This technology uses gene therapy and light stimulation to introduce a carefully modified adenovirus to alter a patient’s retinal cells. While this innovation only works for blind people with neurodegenerative photoreceptor diseases whose optic nerve remains functional, it’s still a promising solution that can make way for further medical solutions to other eye conditions.

Since the world started recovering from the global coronavirus pandemic in 2022, developing countries have seen a vast jump in digital adoption. While this has opened up new opportunities in financial technology and remote employment, it has also introduced more people to the potential vision issues brought on by daily exposure to technology. Even individuals who work in labor-intensive jobs constantly expose themselves to the risk of eye injuries. Statistics from the Medicine Journal have shown that even high-income developing countries see severe problems with vision loss following eye trauma. In the United Arab Emirates, the majority of injuries to the eye occur at work, with cornea injuries becoming the most frequent cause of visual acuity deterioration.

New challenges and solutions face developing countries, but this only bolsters eyewear’s importance in generating income. With the right resources, individuals and whole communities can see a brighter future with more sustainable economic growth.