For example, you can:
Full Answer
Through Eyes of Hope, vision insurer VSP Global provides access to no-cost eye care and eyewear for more than 2 million people around the world. They accept donations of new and gently used eyewear.
Why donate your old glasses? One big reason to donate your old glasses: You can easily change lives. Over 1 billion people around the world with vision loss and lack of access to eye care could regain their sight with a pair of glasses, according to the independent nonprofit OneSight.
His vision was now clear and so was one other thing: He didn't want his old frames to end up in a landfill.
Your local Goodwill may accept eyeglasses donations to pass on to another nonprofit in the community. Check with a nearby donation center to see if Goodwill offers this in your area.
Your old glasses will then get matched to someone who needs them, around the world or in your neighborhood. Many donated glasses get used in “medical missions,” trips in which qualified medical professionals provide free vision care and correction in areas with limited access to eye doctors and health resources.
New Eyes accepts used prescription glasses, reading glasses, sunglasses, safety glasses and children’s glasses in good to excellent condition.
It’s common for nonprofits not to accept contact lenses, broken or damaged glasses, or glasses cases. For example, New Eyes accepts glasses in good to excellent condition, and requests that you do not send any glasses you wouldn’t give to a friend or relative.
Glasses might be easier to produce and construct due to technology but this ease doesn’t affect the price. Studies have shown that the price of eyeglasses have continued to rise due to production costs.
As I earlier said, there are certain places to donate eyeglasses but there are a few who stand out for different reasons. These ones include:
Donating your eyeglasses will always be profitable than keeping them in a case locked up in an area of your house. You can see that the benefits are tremendous to you and society at large.
ReSpectacle. ReSpectacle is a nonprofit charitable organization that distributes quality used eyeglasses to people in the U.S. who qualify for free glasses. It accepts glasses that are gently used and does not accept any that: are missing one or both arms, nose pads, or lenses. have loose lenses.
Eyes of Hope. Eyes of Hope is a charitable scheme of VSP Global, a vision care insurance company that operates in the United States and other countries. Eyes of Hope collects new and gently used eyewear and distributes it to those who need it globally.
It accepts glasses that are gently used and does not accept any that: 1 are missing one or both arms, nose pads, or lenses 2 have loose lenses 3 have cracked, scratched, or peeling lenses 4 have nonfunctional or broken hinges 5 have sharp points 6 are damaged beyond simple repair
Donating glasses may help people regain their independence and improve the quality of their lives.
People cannot donate their glasses to this company, but Warby Parker has a “Buy a pair, give a pair” scheme. For every purchase of Warby Parker glasses, the company donates a pair to a person in need. The company partners with VisionSpring, a nonprofit organization that sells affordable glasses internationally.
LensCrafters has a partnership with OneSight, an organization that provides vision care to those who could not otherwise access it worldwide. LensCrafters and OneSight have donated eyeglasses and provided low-cost vision care since 1988 and have helped more than 10 million people.
Warby Parker also has a Pupils Project, which gives children in the U.S. an opportunity to access vision care and receive glasses for free. Find out more about the Pupils Project here. The company says that its donations have reached 50 countries, including Sri Lanka, Mexico, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh. LEARN MORE.
OneSight is another charitable organization that collects, recycles, and distributes glasses. They have partnered with several eye care providers to collect glasses on their behalf including LensCrafters, Sears Optical and Pearle Vision. You can bring your old eyeglasses to those stores and drop them off there for recycling.
At just one location, The Minnesota Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, they've collected more than 10 million pairs of eyeglasses and more than 700,000 pairs each year. They've been doing this for 80 years and dispense the glasses in developing nations for free.
New Eyes is a 501 (C) (3) that was founded back in 1932 to help improve vision for the poor, both children and adults . They will recycle your used glasses (in good condition, don't send broken glasses!) and distributes them to the poor overseas. They are a United Way Agency.
About Jim Wang. Jim Wang is a thirty-something father of four who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard's Blog. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.