Eyeglasses Could Improve Global Economy by $225 Billion, Says EYELliance

World Economic Forum, Social Entrepreneurs, and EYElliance have reported that by improving the vision of 2.5 billion people the world's economy will grow $225 billion. The report, entitled  Eyeglasses for Global Development: Bridging the Visual Divide, notes that of the 4.5 billion people who need vision correction, only 1.9 billion actually correct their eyesight. Over 2.5 billion people still live with uncorrected poor vision, and its social and economic consequences. 95% of them live in developing countries where they lack awareness of the impact of poor vision and access to basic vision care solutions, according to a press release from Essilor, a stack-holder in Eyelliance.

In 2015, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and inclusive businesses collectively distributed less than 8 million pairs of eyeglasses in developing countries. Essilor accounted for 20% of these eyeglasses.

"Political will, investment and the engagement of private sector actions can overcome barriers to solving the problem at scale. In 2015, only $37 million, or two cents per person affected, was spent to solve this problem," noted the report's bullet points.

To read a PDF of the report, click this link:   Eyeglasses for Global Development: Bridging the Visual Divide.