Happy World Sight Day!
Today is World Sight Day 2013 which marks the launch of a new WHO Action Plan on the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Their theme this year is Universal Eye Health, urging people around the world to get their eyes tested and support the WHO Action Plan to end avoidable blindness by 2020.
Today Specsavers Opticas are marking World Sight Day by launching a campaign to improve the sight of the world’s poorest people by collecting thousands of glasses to send to developing countries. They have set the ambitious target of collecting 3,000 pairs of glasses over a three month campaign to help those in Africa and India where people desperately need access to glasses.
After the glasses are donated in store they are sent to the Lions Club’s recycling plant in Alicante where they are first separated into single vision, bifocals, varifocals and sunglasses. They are then graded according to prescription strength, cleaned and boxed for distribution.
Lions Club representatives are located across many developing countries including Africa and India. They test the eyes of locals and send requests for the required prescription glasses onto the fulfilment plant. Lions Club International collects around 70,000 pairs of glasses to be re-dispensed every year, with each one being donated and hand selected for specific people in need.
Janette Bennett, president of the Torrevieja Costa Lions Club commented: ‘There is always a shortage of glasses in developing countries as they have no medical support, so Specsavers’ donations are absolutely vital to people with poor vision and we hope the whole community will get behind the campaign and not let their old glasses go to waste.’
All eight Specsavers Opticas stores in Spain will be acting as collection points for used glasses for their local Lions branch. There are stores in Marbella and Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, Santa Ponça in Mallorca, Calpe, Javea, Benidorm, Guardamar del Segura and Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca. To find your nearest store visit www.specsavers.es.
For more information on the Lions Club International and to find your local branch visit www.lionsclubs.org