See Your Way to Donating Those Old Specs
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Don’t throw away those old eyeglasses just yet. Your castoffs could give someone in a developing country the gift of sight, thanks to Recycle for Sight, a program sponsored each May by Lions Clubs International.
The World Health Organization estimates that the eyesight of one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses. Unfortunately, a pair of glasses is both unaffordable and inaccessible for many. In developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single doctor may serve a community of thousands of people.
For nearly 70 years, Lions clubs and districts in the United States, Canada and several other countries have collected old, unwanted eyeglasses for distribution to the poor in developing nations. Any intact adult or children’s eyeglasses and sunglasses will be accepted. (Eyeglasses cannot be distributed in the United States because they are considered prescription devices and legal constraints generally prohibit dispensing them.)
Call (800) 74-SIGHT for drop-off locations, or deposit glasses in collection boxes at LensCrafters stores nationwide.
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