Presbyopia is the loss of ability to bring near objects into focus, and is a normal consequence of ageing which causes people to require reading glasses. In much of the world, lack of access to spectacles prevents individuals from reading or undertaking near work, with adverse effects on productivity and quality of life.

At the International Centre for Eye Health, a systematic review was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of presbyopia and rate of spectacle correction in China, which is thought to contribute a substantial proportion of the burden of uncorrected presbyopia. As expected, presbyopia is common in older adults, but lack of access to corrective spectacles is much more common in rural regions than urban regions, indicating priority areas for future intervention.