Share the vision: donate your old glasses—and see the difference you can make

Natural Health, March, 2008 by Karen M. Jones

EYEWEAR FASHION seems to change faster than, well ... the blink of an eye. Like other expired trends, old glasses languish in drawers or end up in landfills. Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults wear prescription eyeglasses, according to the Vision Council of America, yet less than one-tenth of 1 percent of glasses sold each year are donated and reused. Learn how your old lenses can restore sight--and hope--to those who can't afford eyewear:

* Drop off old glasses at LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears, Target, or BJ's Optical to donate them through the Give the Gift of Sight program (givethegiftofsight.org) to people in developing countries. Since 1991, the program has restored vision to more than 2.6 million individuals in 30 countries. It also runs vision vans and optical clinics that provide free eye exams and eyewear to underprivileged youth.

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* Bring your specs to a Lions Club donation box in your area, where they'll be recycled and passed on to impoverished children and adults worldwide. Or send glasses to the nearest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center; find it at www.lionsclubs.org. The organization collects more than 20 million glasses annually.

* Mail gently worn glasses to New Eyes for the Needy (neweyesfortheneedy.org) at 549 Millburn Ave., P.O. Box 332, Short Hills, NJ 07078. In addition to raising money to fund new glasses for America's poor, New Eyes provided recycled eyewear to more than 280,000 people in 22 countries its last fiscal year.

And don't hesitate to send in not-so-perfect specs: All the organizations mentioned repair glasses if necessary. They even accept nonprescription sunglasses, and children's glasses are especially prized. No lenses lurking in your junk drawer? You can still support this great cause by organizing a collection effort in your community or by making a cash donation online.

Photograph by BONNIE HOLLAND