Do you have a pair of used glasses? Don’t throw them away. They can be donated to improve the quality of life for people who cannot afford them.
There are many organisations in Australia, and around the world, that accept recycled glasses to give to others. These include prescription glasses and non-prescription glasses (such as sunglasses). They clean them, sort them by prescription strength, and pack them ready to send to developing countries.
In many countries the cost of an eye examination is a month’s wages or more, and the cost of prescription glasses is prohibitive. Donor organisations often conduct free eye examinations, but are in need of glasses.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 733 million people across the globe suffer vision loss or impairment. Of those, 563 million people could have their vision restored with a pair of glasses.
WHO established the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight global initiative in February 1999 in conjunction with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). The mission is to eliminate the main causes of all preventable and treatable blindness as a public health issue by the year 2020. This is being achieved through three major objectives:
- raising the profile of the causes of avoidable blindness and their solutions,
- identifying and securing resources from around the world to provide prevention and treatment programs, and
- facilitating the planning, development, and implementation of core VISION 2020 strategies.
The core VISION 2020 strategies are: (1) disease control, (2) human resource development to support training of ophthalmologists, and (3) technological development. VISION 2020 is about giving sight, and one way is through the giving of glasses.
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Vision 2020 Australia, established in October 2000, is part of the WHO global initiative. It aims to ensure that Australia fulfills its commitments under the World Health Assembly Resolutions and Action Plan, Universal eye health: a global action plan 2014-2019. Vision 2020 Australia represents about 50 member organisations involved in local and global eye care, low vision support, eye care promotion, vision rehabilitation, eye research, and community eye care support.
The WHO Global Action Plan 2014-2019 for Universal Eye Health aims for equitable, sustainable, comprehensive eye care for every country’s health system. In May 2013 the 66th World Health Assembly unanimously approved the Global Action Plan in order to prevent avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
While member organisations around the world are implementing the Global Action Plan, individuals can easily assist by giving glasses, and thus giving sight to those in need.
Contact eye care specialists, doctors, and health organisations in your locality to find where you can drop off or mail your recycled glasses. There are Reply Paid (free) mailing address where glasses can be popped into padded post bags and mailed to organizations that collect prescription and non-prescription glasses. One such address is: PersonalEYES Donate Glasses, Reply Paid 301, Parramatta NSW 2124.
Giving glasses, giving sight is a simple, easy way to give to a worthwhile cause that can make a significant difference to millions of people.
