{
  "abstract": "Background Correction for presbyopia, the world’s most common cause of vision impairment, significantly improves productivity in agriculture and crafts. However, effects on productivity in manufacturing remain unstudied.Methods PROSPER II was an individually randomised, investigator-masked, controlled trial conducted in Karnataka, India. Eligible garment factory workers aged ≥35 years with presbyopia (better-eye near vision N6.3 or worse (Snellen 6/12), correctable to N4 (Snellen 6/7.5)) and not owning glasses were randomised (1:1) to intervention (immediate delivery of glasses suited to working distance) or control (identical glasses delivered at endline). The primary outcome was work productivity, defined as the hourly number of items completed, normalised to a factory target rate, over 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included glasses wear adherence, visual function, and ROI.Results Among 4990 potentially eligible workers, 3648 (73.1%) underwent eye examinations, and 682 (18.7%, mean age 41.0 years, 99.0% female) were enrolled and randomised (intervention: n=344, 50.4%; control: n=338, 49.6%). All participants completed 12-week observation. In panel regression models for the pre-specified primary analysis, intervention group assignment (difference=0.0325, 95% CI 0.006 to 0.060, p=0.017) was significantly associated with greater productivity. Compared with workers in the highest skill grade (A), those in the lowest grade (C) had significantly lower productivity (difference=−0.049, 95% CI −0.087 to −0.011, p=0.011). Glasses increased productivity in the intervention group relative to controls by 5.70% (95% CI 1.04% to 10.4%).Conclusions Free near glasses confer a significant productivity benefit in this factory setting, and are substantially less costly than other successful interventions such as management training.Trial registration number NCT04629820.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "VisionSpring, New York, New York, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Sonia Pant"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India",
        "Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Sahil Bagwe"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"
      ],
      "name": "Sangeetha Esther"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Riemann Limited, Oxford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Graeme MacKenzie"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India"
      ],
      "name": "Lovemore Nyasha Sigwadhi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "GPR-International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India",
        "Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Winston D Prakash"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Ving Fai Chan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"
      ],
      "name": "Smit Gade"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"
      ],
      "name": "Simranjeet Dhir"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"
      ],
      "name": "Saumya Joshi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Good Business Lab, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India"
      ],
      "name": "Sofía Calderón"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Vision and Eye Research Institute, Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Mapa Prabhath Piyasena"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK",
        "Northern Ireland Clinical Trials Unit, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Mike Clarke"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Lynne Lohfeld"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "VisionSpring, New York, New York, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Cooke"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "VisionSpring, New York, New York, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Ella R Gudwin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego, California, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Achyuta Adhvaryu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Anant Nyshadham"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK",
        "ORBIS International, New York, New York, USA",
        "Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yatsen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Nathan Congdon"
    }
  ],
  "title": "PROductivity Study of Presbyopia Elimination in gaRment workers (PROSPER II): a randomised trial on the productivity impact of providing near glasses to Indian garment factory workers",
  "uid": "4096bab8-0038-5003-b487-dfd147d08a0f"
}