VisionSpring

VisionSpring increases lifelong earning, learning, safety, and well-being through eyeglasses for people vulnerable to poverty. To date, VisionSpring has delivered 12.1 million eyeglasses to low-income earners and learners, creating $2.6 billion in income-earning potential.

The Problem
Eyeglasses are a powerful tool for social and economic development. Yet, over 1 billion people need and lack this 700-year-old technology, 90% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries. For many, uncorrected blurry vision results in the loss of employment and educational opportunities and poses a barrier to participation in civic society and family life. A 2024 randomized controlled trial, THRIVE, conducted in rural Bangladesh across a range of near-vision-intensive occupations, found that a pair of reading glasses increases the average median income of people in low-income communities by 33.4%. THRIVE’s focus on income builds upon the 2018 PROSPER trial, which revealed reading glasses increased productivity among tea workers in Assam, India, by 22% on average for those over age 50. These landmark studies represent the largest productivity and income increases ever recorded from a health intervention.

For under $4/day earners, this increased productivity translates into increased earnings of roughly $216 over the two-year lifespan of a pair of VisionSpring eyeglasses. Uncorrected presbyopia and refractive error cost the global economy an estimated $270 billion, with low-income countries disproportionately affected. The 2021 Lancet Commission on Global Eye Health declared eye health essential for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal, asserting that “highly cost-effective vision restoring interventions offer enormous potential to improve the economic outlook of individuals and nations.”

The Solution
VisionSpring uses innovative distribution and demand generation strategies to sell affordable, durable, attractive eyeglasses to those living on less than $4 per day. Through their institutional partnerships, VisionSpring sells bulk quantities of eyeglasses coupled with training and marketing to a network of hospitals, rural pharmacies, eye care centers, NGOs, and government partners globally. As of 2023, 491 organizations partner with VisionSpring to expand vision services to low-income customers. Their Vision Access Programs conduct community-based screenings and advance impact along three themes:
The See to Earn program increases productivity and income-earning potential through clear vision for working adults such as micro-entrepreneurs, artisans, factory workers, farmers, and their family members.
The See to Learn program enhances learning outcomes by conducting school-based screenings and providing eyeglasses for students and teachers.
The See to be Safe road safety program, reduces the risk of traffic accidents, by providing screenings in transportation hubs to truckers, bus drivers, and other transport workers.