LARNED —  As spring cleaning season gets under way, the Fort Larned Lions Club is asking people to look through drawers and closets for old unwanted eyeglasses and donate them to the Lions Recycle for Sight Program.
During May, the Fort Larned Lions Club will collect used prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program throughout the United States and Canada. The glasses are distributed in countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.
The Fort Larned Lions Club has scheduled a used eyeglass collection from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Sixth and Broadway, on the south side of Doerrs Ace Hardware.
“We need everyone to donate their old eyeglasses,” said Janis Fairchild, Fort Larned Lions Club president. “In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages. A single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.”
The glasses will be shipped to one of the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription, and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups.
According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of approximately one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of corrective lens.