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Focus on Vision, a Dutch company, produces very low cost adjustable glasses for the developing world. The company says it can produce its Focusspec glasses for about $4 a pair, a price its founders say will fall substantially, once the glasses are made in large volume. -Michel de Groot for The International Herald Tribune

Interesting article from the New York Times, discussing the staggering cost of poor eyesight around the world … “A study published in a World Health Organization journal in June estimated the cost in lost output at $269 billion a year.” Wow.

The article goes on to highlight several efforts to distribute inexpensive glasses throughout the world on a large scale including technology such as self-adjusting glasses (see Vernon D’s post about this technology).

Here is an excerpt of the article by Douglas Heingartner and a link for the full deal …

VEGHEL, the Netherlands — With AIDS, malaria and other diseases costing millions of lives every year, worrying about the vision of people in the developing world may seem like an indulgence.

But supplying glasses for the world’s poor may be one of the most valuable investments around. Hundreds of millions of people — some put the estimates as high as two billion — do not have the corrective lenses that would allow them to lead better, more productive lives.

A study published in a World Health Organization journal in June estimated the cost in lost output at $269 billion a year. Moreover, tackling vision problems early can help prevent later blindness.

Read entire article

Via New York Times