Affordable reading glasses improve the health and productivity of low-income consumers in rural India.
Investment Stories
The Challenge
- Presbyopia, or aging-related reduced vision, sets in for almost everyone around age 40. In India, 20 million people fall into this category with short-sighted disability, but very few have access to vision services.
- Poor eyesight in many cases means the difference between earning a livelihood and not, and is critical for quality of life and continued productivity—especially for tailors, weavers, and anybody reading or doing detailed work.
The Innovation
- VisionSpring uses a wholesale distribution and franchising model to administer vision tests and sell low-cost reading glasses to India’s poor who are suffering from reduced vision.
- VisionSpring recruits local Vision Entrepreneurs who are trained to operate a mini franchise, traveling from village to village and conducting vision camps checking eyesight and selling glasses. One pair, with case and cleaning cloth, costs from $2 to $4.
The Impact
- Close to 48,000 eyeglasses have been sold so far in less than 3 years of operation in India. An additional 72,000 people who have been diagnosed with eye disorders have been referred to reputed eye care clinics.
- VisionSpring is now partnering with Drishtee and Medicine Shoppe, two other Acumen investees, to expand its coverage of poor communities. Every Drishtee franchisee can become a Vision Entrepreneur and sell VisionSpring's products through their kiosk. Medicine Shoppe’s stores are stocking VisionSpring products and serve as vision testing centers. The potential for scale is huge.