Assessment of the Impact of Reading Glasses on Livelihoods and Quality of Life in the Context of Rural Bangladesh

The issue of uncorrected Presbyopia is an emerging health and livelihoods problem in Bangladesh. Presbyopia is easily corrected with an appropriate pair of reading glasses. Non-governmental organizations and government agencies have been working in many emerging markets, including Bangladesh, to increase eyeglass coverage among low-income adults by introducing basic vision screening and the dispensing of reading glasses at the community level. While vision screening is typically considered a health intervention, the primary motivation of these organizations and government agencies is to correct blurry vision with the intention of improving adults' income earning potential.

VisionSpring and BRAC (previously known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) are two such NGOs who are partnering to implement a "Reading Glasses for Improved Livelihoods" program. VisionSpring is a social enterprise with a mission to increase access to affordable eye care and glasses in low-income settings. BRAC is an international development organization dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor.

VisionSpring and BRAC have initiated a Randomized Control Trial to assess the economic and social impact that reading glasses may have on individuals that earn less than $4 a day. The study hypothesizes that post-intervention, the adoption of reading glasses will increase productivity related to paid work, and will enhance the vision-related quality of life of adults with Presbyopia.

This experimental trial is designed to test the aforementioned hypotheses. In March 2017 a census survey was conducted in 59 villages of adults aged ≥35 and ≤65 years old in order to identify individuals with uncorrected presbyopia who would be eligible for enrollment in the study intervention. Following household visual acuity screenings, study participants were selected for enrollment. Randomization was conducted at the household level. Based on the inclusion criteria, a total of 824 random households were surveyed at the baseline. Following completion of the baseline survey, in August 2017 the treatment group was given reading glasses free-of-cost. The endline survey will be conducted in March 2018, eight months from the baseline. Although some income-related outcomes may take more time to manifest, it is anticipated that the wearing of glasses precipitates changes in a relatively short time frame. The control group will receive reading glasses at the conclusion of the endline survey.