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Introduction Presbyopia, the leading cause of vision impairment globally, is common during working years. However, no trials have assessed presbyopia’s impact on income. Methods In April 2017, we conducted a census among 59 Bangladesh villages to identify persons aged 35 to 65 years with presbyopia (presenting distance vision > = 6/12 bilaterally and correctable inability to see 6/13 at 40 cm with both eyes), who never had owned glasses. Participants were randomized (1: 1) to receive immediate free reading glasses (intervention) or glasses delivered 8 months later (control). Visual demand of different jobs was stratified into three levels. Outcomes were between-group differences in the 8 month change in: self-reported monthly income (primary) and Near Vision Related Quality of Life (NVRQOL, secondary). Results Among 10, 884 census participants, 3, 655 (33. 6%) met vision criteria and 863 (23. 6%) comprised a sample enriched for near vision-intensive jobs, but 39 (4. 52%) could not be reached. All participants allocated to intervention (n = 423, 51. 3%) and control (n = 401, 48. 7%) received the appropriate intervention, and follow-up was available for 93. 4% and 96. 8% respectively. Groups were similar at baseline in all characteristics: mean age was 47 years, 50% were male, 35% literate, and about half engaged in "most near vision-intensive" occupations. Glasses wear at 8-month follow-up was 88. 3% and 7. 81% in intervention and control respectively. At baseline, both the intervention and control groups had a self-reported median monthly income of US35. 3. At endline, the median income for the intervention group was US47. 1 compared with US35. 3 for control, a difference of 33. 4%. Predictors of greater income increase in multivariate models included intervention group allocation (OR 1. 45, 95% CI 1. 12, 1. 88, P = 0. 005), male sex (OR 2. 41, 95% CI 1. 84, 3. 16, P <0. 001), and not engaging in income-producing work at baseline (OR 2. 35, 95% CI 1. 69, 3. 26, P<0. 001). Conclusion Provision of reading glasses increases income in near vision-intensive occupations, and may facilitate return to work for those currently unemployed.
Sehrin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.