Glasses for people who need them could result in economic gain

More than 150 million people worldwide are visually impaired or blind as a result of not having appropriate glasses, according to a report. Uncorrected and undercorrected refractive error is estimated to cost the world economy up to $428bn (£308bn; €333bn) in lost productivity (Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 2009, doi:10.2471/BLT.08.055673).

It “has a potentially greater impact on the global economy than all other preventable vision disorders,” say the authors.

The authors, who used national population, epidemiological, and economic data, say that the size of this correctable burden has …