An international consortium of health professionals, opticians, and social scientists reveals a groundbreaking finding: distributing reading glasses to individuals with presbyopia in developing nations can significantly enhance their earning potential. Presbyopia, a common age-related vision impairment, is the primary culprit behind difficulties in close-up reading and tasks requiring visual precision. Published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, their study chronicles the distribution of hundreds of reading glasses in rural Bangladeshi villages.
Presbyopia, affecting nearly everyone over the age of 50, manifests as struggles with reading small print, such as that found in newspapers or on medicine labels. While reading glasses—non-prescription magnifiers—are readily available and inexpensive in developed regions, they remain elusive for many in the developing world.
Previous studies have linked the onset of presbyopia in such regions to decreased earning potential, as numerous occupations necessitate clear vision. Sewing, food preparation, and agriculture tasks like tea picking often become challenging. To explore the impact of providing reading glasses, researchers distributed them to over 800 presbyopic adults across 56 Bangladeshi villages.
Half of the recipients received glasses immediately, while the remaining half obtained them eight months later. Upon follow-up, the researchers observed a remarkable 38% increase in the collective income of recipients—from an average of $35 to $47 per month. Moreover, many individuals previously unable to work due to vision difficulties reentered the workforce, contributing to their families’ livelihoods.
The researchers highlight the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, with the average price of reading glasses ranging from $3 to $4. This modest investment underscores the profound impact on improving the quality of life for a vast number of individuals in resource-constrained settings.