Melissa Eyewear

Shaker Thumbs

This issue is hugely important to me, because, without my glasses, my life would be completely different. My vision is severely impaired without them; they have enabled me to do things I never would have been able to do otherwise. This is not to suggest a life with compromised or no vision is less a life, but only to underline the impact of correcting vision problems that can be corrected. Voiceover: [ over video montage of street scenes in African city ] An estimated 40% of the world's population needs glasses to see clearly. Even so, looking at this busy street, no one is wearing glasses. What's going on here? The World Health Organization has declared that upwards of a billion people need, but lack, eyeglasses. Adaptive Eyewear, a British nonprofit, is trying to solve this invisible problem. In much of the developing world, basic eyeglasses cost one to two months' earnings, making clear vision unattainable. In the United States, there is one optometrist...

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