The Economics of Eye Care
Spectacles: The Cheapest Fix
How many Indians need glasses but don't have them, research showing reading glasses raise workers' productivity, and why cheap glasses remain underused.
Glasses are a cheap fix, yet many people lack them.
Need
Hundreds of millions of Indians need glasses, especially reading glasses after age 40 (presbyopia).
Productivity research
A 2018 study (PROSPER) in Assam tea gardens found giving reading glasses to tea pickers raised their productivity by about 22%.
Why underused
- Lack of eye tests.
- Cost and distance.
- Stigma and not knowing vision can improve.
Solutions
- Vision centres in villages.
- Ready-made reading glasses sold cheaply.
The tea picker
A tea picker gets reading glasses and plucks more leaves per day, earning more.
Thinking glasses are only about comfort
They raise productivity.
Key takeaways
- Many need glasses but lack them.
- Reading glasses raised tea pickers' productivity by 22%.
- Cost, access and stigma limit use.
- Vision centres help.
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