Opinion Piece Urges More Innovation In Eye Health

Devex: How to encourage and nurture an innovation mindset in eye health
Anurag Hans, leads the Base of Pyramid innovation, strategy, and operation team at Essilor International

“For those of us working in the development sector, the last months have undoubtedly been challenging, with resources rightly diverted to dealing with COVID-19. This is unlikely to change for some time yet the challenges we face in the vision care sector remain. Ninety-percent of the 2.7 billion suffering from uncorrected poor vision globally are from base-of-the-pyramid economies, and the most impacted by the pandemic. … The pandemic has exacerbated the need for us to find solutions to the barriers in addressing the need for affordable eye care products, better access to primary vision care providers, and increased awareness of the importance of getting your eyes tested in balance of payments economies. … None of us knows what the world will look like in the next few years or what the lasting effects of the pandemic might be, but one thing we do know is that innovation will always play a crucial role within the vision care sector if we want to eliminate poor vision from the entire world by 2050” (10/20).

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