In a recent study to determine parents’ willingness to pay for children’s spectacles and the barriers to purchasing children’s spectacles in Cambodia, we found that about half of parents and guardians were unwilling to pay for spectacles at the current average market price, and the unaffordable cost was cited the most common reason. These findings suggest financial support through a subsidised spectacle scheme might be required for children with uncorrected refractive errors to access spectacles in Cambodia.

The School Eye Health program, passed into Cambodian law within the National Policy on School Health in 2019 provides vision screening services, though currently relies on external funding to provide spectacles or leaves parents to access spectacles at market prices. The availability of affordable spectacles is essential to its success.

“Parents’ willingness to pay for children’s spectacles in Cambodia” is an open-access article and you can read it here. It was authored by researchers from the Brien Holden Foundation and supported by the Lions Clubs International Foundation.