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  • 2010 Used Eyeglasses Collection Campaign nets over 7,000 eyeglasses.
  • EYEsee supports June 22-29 medical mission to Campamento, Honduras.
  • EYEsee supports May 8-22 medical mission to Jinja, Republic of Uganda.
  • EYEsee holds 2010 summer program to test donated eyeglasses.
  • EYEsee concludes eyeglasses collection drive at St. Paul of the Cross in Park Ridge (June 19-20, 2010). 320 eyeglasses collected.
  • EYEsee releases the Summer 2010 Newsletter.

    • This year, 4 million used eyeglasses will be thrown out in North America while 153 million people worldwide suffer from uncorrected refractive errors.



    The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 153 million people worldwide have uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism). Refractive errors can easily be corrected with eyeglasses.

    Yet, 138 million or 90% of people with uncorrected refractive errors live in African, Asian, and Latin American countries. This is because in many of these countries people cannot afford the cost of a simple pair of eyeglasses. For a family of four or more that makes four dollars a day, eye care and eyeglasses are out of their reach:

  • an eye exam can cost as much as one month's salary
  • a bottle of eye medication to relieve a simple eye infection would probably take food off a family's table for weeks.
  • a pair of eyeglasses can be the equivalent of a year's salary


    • Poor eyesight is a direct contributory factor to poverty in Third World countries.

    Poor vision reduces productivity, employability, and quality of life.

  • Uncorrected eyesight for adults can lead to unemployment and the inability to support a family.
  • Poor eyesight can hold back abused women from becoming self-reliant and thus break from domestic violence.
  • Vision problem for young children can lead to learning disabilities.
  • Visual impairment for children and teens can result in poor performance in school because they cannot see the board or read their books clearly.
  • Vision loss for seniors can hamper their daily activities, undermining their ability to live an independent lifestyle.

    • More than 4 million pairs of eyeglasses are discarded every year in North America. And while other service organizations have well established eyeglass collection programs, 3 million of all used eyeglasses in the U.S. remain uncollected. Our partner humanitarian organizations report that eyeglass donations have been significantly down in the last few years, and thousands of their indigent patients are desperately in need of eyeglasses.

    Recycling used eyeglasses also helps our environment. U.S. laws are very strict about re-dispensing prescription products so recycling eyeglasses prevents plastics, metals, and cut lenses from ending up in landfills. Discarded eyeglasses pollute our environment and take up valuable landfill space. Recycling also stops the need for production of new materials, reducing carbon emissions. Discarded eyeglasses can be repaired and given to the poor throughout the world. Recycled eyeglasses can help thousands experience corrected vision.

    Please consider assisting us with our mission by donating your used eyeglasses. The 'gift of sight' from your donation will perhaps allow a mother to finally see the faces of her children clearly, a senior citizen to read his Bible again, an abused woman to become self-reliant and thus break from domestic violence, an unemployed man to find a job and support his family again, or a child to finally excel in school.

    Your used eyeglasses can make a difference in the world!