Clever

Background issues

New research suggests there is a 55% increased risk of cognitive impairment among people with poor vision.  This has global implications, as the number of people living with dementia worldwide will rise from 50 million in 2017 to 131.5 million by 2050. In India alone, the total cost for dementia care will soon consume 0.5% of its Gross Domestic Product.  Near and distance refractive errors account for over half of global vision impairment, and are demonstrated by published, population-based studies to affect some 80% of our proposed target population. Safely and inexpensively corrected with glasses, refractive errors are the most common and easily treated cause of vision loss. Despite considerable longitudinal observational evidence, there have been no randomised trials to investigate whether providing near and distance glasses can slow cognitive decline in the elderly.