Abstract
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) set eye health as a priority by creating the“Universal Eye Health: A Global Action Plan 2014-2019.” The WHO’s reasoning is intuitive; poor visual health can impair quality of life in a number of ways- by limiting physical activity, causing emotional health problems, damaging work performance. In India, 55million people suffer from presbyopia (the degeneration of sight related to age). Apart from the large-scale negative impact on quality of life, untreated visual impairments including presbyopia, are estimated to cost the Indian economy $37 billion in productivity losses annually. In this study, we aim to explore the effects of addressing presbyopia of workers in the context of the readymade garment industry in India. We will screen workers and provide eye glasses to those that have a presbyopic refractive error. We will explore adherence to eyeglasses, price sensitivity, effects on productivity and retention of such workers.
To do so, we propose a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in India which will: 1)measure adherence to eye glasses and willingness to pay of presbyopic sewers with glasses either free of cost or upon the payment of a nominal amount; 2) We will observe whether being in different treatment groups influences how regularly the worker wears glasses to work.