A Powerful Tool for Social and Economic Development: Accelerating the Uptake of Eyeglasses for Working-Age Adults

Helena was in her late 30s. She had just been dismissed from her job as a sewing machine operator at a garment factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh. Why? Because she could no longer thread a needle or spot flawed skip-stitches. Helena’s future felt precarious. She was a second wife who had had no children of her own, and her familial standing was based significantly on Helena’s ability to earn income for the extended household. She took up work as a maid, earning a salary 75% less than what she used to get at the factory.