Eyeglasses could boost lifetime earnings by Sh2m

Correcting poor vision in children using glasses could increase their earnings later in life by up to Sh2 million, according to findings by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the Seva Foundation.

The release of the findings comes right on this year's World Sight Day, marked on 10 October.

The study estimates that over 86,000 children in Kenya have uncorrected refractive errors like short-sightedness or astigmatism, which severely affects their ability to learn. The learning loss equates to an economic hit for the country since almost 25,000 years of schooling are lost each year due to the inability to see well.

The report indicates that tackling the vision problem among children early enough could save the economy some Sh14.7 billion per year, a figure higher than the government intends to spend on vocational and technical training this year.

The findings give reason to realise how something as simple as a pair of eyeglasses can make all the difference in the world to the future of a child.

A five-year-old child who receives eyeglasses and who wears them consistently up until they are 18 years old will earn an average of 125 per cent more in their lifetime than a child who does not have their vision corrected.

Victor Opiyo, President of the Optometrists Association of Kenya, stressed the need for timely intervention.

"Our children's vision is an incredibly important factor in their learning and life prospects. But for too many children, vision problems are not arrested early enough," Dr Opiyo said.

Most children in Kenya never get any eye tests or glasses simply because their parents either do not know or cannot afford them. This is even though early intervention often yields long-lasting positive results.

"Eye health in young people is not an optional extra. It is vital to their future," says Peter Holland, Chief Executive Officer of IAPB.