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Over the past year, our team has been researching how market-creating innovations (MCIs) can unlock economic opportunity for millions of Nigerians – particularly women, youth, and people with disabilities. Through deep research and fieldwork, we’ve identified seven high-potential opportunity areas where solving for nonconsumption could unleash new markets, create dignified jobs, and build more inclusive systems. Our new blog series, MCI Opportunities in Nigeria, breaks down each of these opportunity areas, starting with one of the most overlooked yet transformative sectors: eyecare.

The Struggle: Over 70 Million Nigerians Lack Access to Vision Services

Eyecare in Nigeria is a silent crisis. Nearly one in three Nigerians – about 71 million people – need access to affordable, quality eye care products and services whether due to untreated refractive errors, undiagnosed cataracts, or lack of access to routine eye exams. In fact, only 4.4% of the population accesses eyecare services, compared to 38% in middle-income countries and 64% in high-income nations. This isn’t due to lack of need, but lack of access: eye clinics are scarce, professionals are few, and affordability remains a major barrier.

The cost of vision solutions is simply out of reach for most Nigerians, who spend 3.4% of GDP per capita on basic services like glasses – compared to just 0.15% in wealthier countries.  Without action, millions remain excluded from the learning, earning, and living that sight enables.

Why Eyecare Matters for Growth and Inclusion

Poor vision isn’t just a health issue – it’s an economic one. Vision loss reduces literacy by 25%, lowers adult income by 30%, productivity by 32%, and causes a 70% drop in community participation. It increases the risk of premature mortality by up to 2.6 times. In schools, undiagnosed vision issues hinder learning. In workplaces, they limit productivity. And in daily life, they isolate.

Eyecare access is also deeply unequal: women make up 55% of the world’s vision-impaired population but are underrepresented in both care delivery and consumption. In Nigeria, social stigma, mobility restrictions, and lack of childcare keep many women from entering the field – or even seeking care themselves. 

The Opportunity: A $1.5 Billion Market and 35,000 Jobs

Despite the challenge, the opportunity for market creation is substantial. If Nigeria increased vision access the total market for eyeglasses and cataract surgery could reach $1.5 billion, including $660 million in eyeglass sales and $800 million in cataract surgeries. Doing so could create more than 35,000 dignified jobs across screening, clinical care, product distribution, manufacturing, and outreach.

Importantly, the eyecare sector is projected to grow at over 11% annually – one of the fastest growth rates of any healthcare segment. Government policies, such as the National Eye Health Strategic Plan, are beginning to prioritise vision care. And value added tax (VAT) exemptions are already in place for eyecare services.

What Market-Creating Innovation Looks Like

Two standout entrepreneurs are already leading the way.

•    Peek Vision is rethinking service delivery through mobile technology. Their “Screeners as Entrepreneurs” programme trains women to use smartphones for vision screenings and sell low-cost reading glasses. This approach empowers locals to earn income while expanding access to thousands who have never had an eye exam.

•    DOT Glasses is reinventing affordability with modular, pre-calibrated lenses and an ultra-low-cost design. By distributing through schools, NGOs, and local entrepreneurs, DOT reaches underserved populations that traditional models often ignore.

Both models emphasise simplicity, affordability, and scalability – hallmarks of market-creating innovation. While there is still a lot of work to be done to build a robust system that solves the massive nonconsumption of eye care in Nigeria, both of these models provide great foundations that can kick off more MCIs.
 
Seeing the Path Forward

Vision transforms lives. It’s also a gateway to learning, employment, and dignity. By solving for nonconsumption in eyecare, we’re not just restoring sight for many Nigerians – we’re restoring opportunity. As Nigeria looks to the future, eyecare stands out as a clear market-creating opportunity – ready to grow, ready to include, and ready to uplift millions.

Stay tuned for the next post in our series, where we’ll explore how market-creating innovations can unlock prosperity through affordable access to diagnostics.

Sandy Sanchez is a senior research associate at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, where she focuses on understanding and solving global development issues through the lens of Jobs to Be Done and innovation theories. Her current work addresses how individuals can use market-creating innovations to create sustainable prosperity in growth economies.