Eye changes the “I”

While we in the city are mesmerized by the various uses of AI and 3-D and 4-D, there are the tea pickers of Assam who are having their life changing experience through the discovery of the humble spectacles.

In Assam, where the predominant source of employment is in the tea sector, a research was conducted where a random trial run highlighted the dramatic economic benefits of reading glasses for ageing tea-pickers suffering from presbyopia or fall in near-vision that comes with age.  T

The study began last year during harvest time and of the 751 tea-pickers, all over the age of 40, 50% got simple reading glasses and the other 50% were left as they were.

What came forth - workers with glasses plucked around 5kg more tea each day than those without and there was also a 21% increase in productivity. Tea-pickers over the age of 50 recorded even bigger gains, at 31%.

For tea-pickers, who are paid by how much they pluck correcting the problem is a major boost. 

Next on the research agenda is to study how glasses can boost productivity in the garment sector, extend employment, boost educational outcomes and reduce road accidents. 

Now this is what we call life-changing research!