EYEGLASS RECYCLING PROJECT
USABLE GLASSES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Lions and Leos help to conserve sight by providing usable eyeglasses to children and adults throughout the world.
Hawaii Lions are a part of the world’s largest service club organization with 1.4 million members in 48,000 clubs in 200+ countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.
Why Recycle Glasses?
Globally, over 1.1 billion people are visually impaired because of uncorrected refractive errors (far and near sightedness). 89% of people with visual impairment live in developing countries.
The Lions and the Lions Clubs in Hawaii participate in the world’s largest collection of used eyeglasses to help those in need improve their vision.
Hawaii residents are called upon to share the gift of sight by dropping off used prescription and nonprescription glasses, sunglasses and hearing aids. Children’s eyeglasses are especially needed.
To someone in need, recycled glasses can mean the chance to work and support a family, the chance to read a book or the newspaper or the chance to see a child for the first time.
According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses. Over the past decade, more than 3.5 million pairs of eyeglasses have been shipped to locations including India, the Middle East and the smallest islands in Indonesia.
Collection sites in the Hawaii Kai area include: American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawaii, First Hawaiian Bank, Great Clips, Gyotaku, Hawaii Kai Public Library, Hawaii Kai Retirement Community – Mauka & Makai, Honolulu Vision Care Center, Kaiser High School, and Straub Health Center.