A new study has suggested programmes aimed at providing refractive correction to developing communities by recycling unwanted spectacles are not cost-effective and claimed issuing brand new ready-made spectacles may correct errors more effectively at a much reduced price.
The study, published in this month's Optometry and Vision Science analysed two separate batches of donated spectacles and found that only 7 per cent were suitable for use. Taking into account the high cost of collection, sorting and delivery, the cost per unit for a recycled correction was calculated as just over $20, more than twice the estimated cost of supplying ready-made spectacles. The authors concluded 'recycled spectacles are not a cost-saving method of correcting refractive error and should be discouraged as a strategy for eliminating uncorrected refractive error in developing countries'.