Clearly’s James Chen.
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LONDON—Pressing his campaign to attack the global problem of poor vision, Clearly’s founder, James Chen, is making an urgent appeal for help to the CEO’s of some of the world’s biggest companies, including McDonald’s, Walmart and Amazon. In a letter to 120 leaders of the world’s largest private sector employers sent on Oct. 11—World Sight Day—Chen said, “A shocking 2.5 billion people—a third of the world’s population—have poor vision and no access to glasses.” He asked the executives, whose businesses collectively employ over 20 million people both directly and indirectly through their supply chains, to take a proactive role in tackling poor vision by providing free eye tests and affordable glasses for their workers.

“It’s a win, win for business—improving their employees’ wellbeing and satisfaction at work, and improving their own bottom line,” said Chen, who founded Clearly in 2016 with the goal of eradicating poor vision worldwide.

A philanthropist and author of the book Clearly: How a 700-year-old invention can change the world forever, Chen said he has personally committed to providing free sight tests for the 700 people employed by his family’s companies.

Chen cited research published recently in The Lancet Global Health that demonstrates to companies operating in low-to-middle-income countries that free work-based sight tests and affordable glasses can provide a game-changing productivity boost and improve their workers’ quality of life.


James Chen speaking at the inaugural meeting of the U.N. Friends of Vision Group, held last week in New York.
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The randomized controlled trial, sponsored by Clearly, demonstrated that providing reading glasses to tea pickers in India improved their productivity by 21.7 percent. For those aged over 50 the increase was 31.6 percent, representing the largest ever recorded productivity increase from any health intervention. Based on this research, the productivity benefits of providing glasses, which cost as little as $1.50 to make, are equal to an extra day of work each week, according to Clearly.

He added that Clearly plans to launch work-based vision programs at the world’s first “Sightgeist” conference next year in London, which will feature “high profile speakers talking about the importance of providing vision care for everyone.”

Chen was in New York last week for the inaugural meeting of the U.N. Friends of Vision Group. Ambassador Walton Alfonso Webson, permanent representative of Antigua and Barbuda, chaired the group’s inaugural meeting with diplomatic representation from countries around the world. Chen spoke along with Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity, and Peter Holland, CEO of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness about the links between vision and sustainable development goals. Clearly is supporting Ambassador Webson with the administration of the group.