VisionSpring Research Finds Seeing to be the Most Important of Five Senses

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VisionSpring is releasing information from a recent proprietary study affirming that seeing is the most important of the five human senses. In fact, seeing was an overwhelming choice, selected by 10 times as many respondents as the second most popular choice.

"This research affirms how important seeing is to people and why we do the work we do," said Kevin Hassey, VisionSpring President. "With over 700 million people in the world not having access to proper eyewear, there is much work to be done. A pair of glasses can grow the economic livelihood of many including seamstresses, carpenters, farmers, and so many professions throughout the world. A simple test is to try to live life without your own eyewear just to walk in their everyday lives."

Specific results indicate that seeing was the sense that 75% of respondents would least like to live without while hearing, touch, feeling, and smell were chosen 7%, 5%, 7% and 6% of respondents respectively. The research was conducted by EMI Research of Cincinnati, Ohio and includes a respondent base of over 1000 individuals.

Contributions to the work VisionSpring does to enable people to see better throughout the world can be made at VisionSpring.org. Also, purchasing a pair of glasses at warbyparker.com supports the VisionSpring effort.

About VisionSpring

VisionSpring is an award-winning social enterprise that delivers affordable, high-quality eyeglasses in the developing world. VisionSpring's innovative models build local capacity by training sales agents to educate consumers and sell glasses in impoverished communities in eight countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. To date, VisionSpring has provided over 875,000 glasses to individuals in need. VisionSpring has been internationally recognized by The Skoll Foundation, The Aspen Institute, and The World Bank. VisionSpring's work has been featured in The Economist, The Harvard Business Review, The New York Times and Forbes, among others. President Clinton has said that VisionSpring's work will "help hundreds of thousands of people and in the process create a whole new sector of the economy."

For more information, visit www.visionspring.org 

SOURCE VisionSpring