“Eye health in young people is not an optional extra” – New research shows children with uncorrected poor eyesight learn half as much as their classmates

To mark World Sight Day 2024 (10 October), new research from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and eye care charity, the Seva Foundation, shows that a child with poor vision learns approximately half as much as a child with good or corrected vision.

This translates directly into lifetime earnings for the individual; for example, if a five-year-old is provided with glasses in primary school and continues to wear them until they are 18, they will earn, on average, 78 per cent more over their lifetime than if they never had their vision corrected.

On a global scale, this accumulates into 6.3 million years of schooling being lost every year, and a future economic productivity loss of $173 billion, according to the research. Losses are seen across both high, low and middle income countries.

Every school day, 17.8 million children around the world go to class with uncorrected vision. Children with refractive errors – such as near or far sightedness or distorted/blurred vision (astigmatism) – are unable to see blackboards and books, learning much less than their peers.

Brad Wong, chief economist at the Seva Foundation, said: “With this very first global estimate of actual learning losses associated with poor vision, we see just how important it is to get glasses when you need them.

“Most often, we are talking about simple refractive errors, which are easy to correct – but which, if uncorrected, have a detrimental effect on both the individual child and society as a whole.”

According to the research, refractive errors typically go uncorrected simply because they have not been found; it is common for people to skip eye tests, or not have access to them.

The researchers estimate that half the learning loss could be avoided with more vision screenings and provision of glasses, and another half through ensuring that children wear their glasses when they need them.

Children from around the world are re-imagining the ‘Glasses of the Future’ in a competition facilitated by the IAPB as part of World Sight Day and the Love Your Eyes campaign. From Kenya to Brazil and India, the competition asks children to use their creativity to raise awareness of the need for checks.

At a political level, interventions to improve access to vision screenings and glasses are highly cost-effective, with a return on investment being as large as $65 per $1 investment, according to the research. The IAPB points to eye health interventions as a key way to address the global learning crisis.

Peter Holland, chief executive officer at 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 and our future.”