India stands to unlock over ₹15,600 cr by getting glasses for students with poor vision, says global study

India stands to unlock over ₹15,600 crore annually by getting glasses for students with poor vision, as per an estimate released by International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in association with Seva Foundation, an international non-profit organization focused on treating blindness and other visual impairments.

Every school day, 3.4 million Indian children go to class with uncorrected vison. However, these children with refractive errors - such as short or long-sightedness or astigmatism - were unable to see blackboards and books, learning much less than their peers, the study found.

The research estimated that the Indian economy stood to gain over ₹15, 600 crore every year from corrected vision among school children through better education. Each of these children who receive glasses in school would earn up to ₹483,000 more over their lifetime, it protected.

According to the study, if five-year-old children are provided with glasses in primary school and if they continue to wear them until they are 18, they will earn, on average, 55.6% more lifetime income than if they never had their vision corrected.

The calculations, which were based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, showed that a child with poor vision learnt approximately half as much as a child with good or corrected vision, it further said.

Peter Holland, Chief Executive Officer, the IAPB, said: “Early intervention, regular eye checks and access to good quality eye care and glasses are critical to unlocking education opportunities and children’s future economic potential. Eye health in young people is not an optional extra - it is vital to their future”.

Brad Wong, Chief Economist, Seva Foundation said: “With this very first global estimate of actual learning losses associated with poor vision, we see just how much our children could gain by getting glasses when they need them. With India standing to gain 1.2 million schooling years, this is far beyond China and Brazil who come in second and third, standing to gain 730 and 310 million schooling years respectively.”

The study titled, “Learning and economic productivity losses from uncorrected refractive error in schools” also showed correcting children’s vision would translate directly into substantial economic gain and GDP growth.

Published - October 12, 2024 06:16 pm IST