Humanitarian Action

We're blind to the global cost of poor eyesight. But this can change

An Afghan refugee has his eyes tested at a health clinic set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to mark World Refugee Day in Islamabad June 20, 2014. World Refugee Day, an occasion that draws attention to those who have been displaced around the globe, falls on June 20.

The world economy falls short by $227 billion every year from lost productivity among adults who need glasses Image: REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Rosamond Hutt
Senior Writer, Formative Content
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Eyeglass need v distribution in Latin America, Africa and Asia (2015)
Image: Eyeglasses for Global Development: Bridging the Visual Divide
The global need for eyeglasses (number of people)
Image: Eyelliance
Eye test
Image: Eyelliance
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