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Spectacles have been around for centuries, and have a huge impact on many people's quality of life. So why is it estimated that more than two billion people aren't aware that they need them? Tim Harford considers the difference that seeing clearly makes to the world.

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10 minutes

Last on

Mon 4 Nov 2019 04:50GMT

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An array of glasses (Credit: Getty Images)

Sources

Google Glass Finds a New Home at the Factory

Smart glasses are making workers more productive

Ibn al-Haytham -  Wikipedia

Theories of Vision from Al-kindi to Kepler, 1981, David C. Lindberg, University of Chicago Press, p 209-210 and p 86

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Artifacts from Medieval Europe, James B. Tschen-Emmons, 2015, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, p 260.

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Jordan of Pisa

A History of Reading, Steven R. Fischer, 2004, Reaktion Books, London, p 186.

Eyeglasses for Global Development: Bridging the Visual Divide. June 2016. World Economic Forum, Geneva.

The spectacular power of Big Lens

Effect of providing near glasses on productivity among rural Indian tea workers with presbyopia (PROSPER): a randomised trial. Lancet Glob Health 2018; 6: e1019–27 Published Online July 23, 2018

Eyeglasses to Improve Workers' Manual Dexterity

A Better Vision for Development: Eyeglasses and Academic Performance in Rural Primary Schools in China Paul Glewwe, Albert Park, Meng Zhao. HKUST IEMS Working Paper No. 2015-37 June 2016.

The myopia boom

Global Action Plan Indicators – the data in full

Process evaluation of a National Primary Eye Care Programme in Rwanda. Jennifer L. Y. Yip et al. BMC Health Services Research 2018 18:950.

Self-correction of refractive error among young people in rural China: results of cross sectional investigation. Zhang et al. BMJ 2011;343:d4767 doi: 10.1136/bmj.d4767. 

Broadcasts

  • Sat 2 Nov 2019 05:50GMT
  • Sat 2 Nov 2019 14:50GMT
  • Sun 3 Nov 2019 14:50GMT
  • Sun 3 Nov 2019 15:50GMT
  • Sun 3 Nov 2019 22:50GMT
  • Mon 4 Nov 2019 04:50GMT

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