Having the right glasses could boost earning power by a third, Bangladesh study shows

A farmer in Bangladesh. The study found glasses made daily tasks such as reading a phone screen or cooking easier. Photograph: Sean Sprague/Alamy

Owning a pair of reading glasses might help people increase their earnings by a third, according to new research.

The study, conducted in Bangladesh, is the first to examine the impact of having a decent pair of spectacles, and researchers found monthly median earnings among one group of people increased from $35.30 to $47.10 within eight months, a rise of 33.4%.