Giving the gift of sight

Here at Blue Planet Eyewear, we’re always keeping an eye out (if you’ll pardon the expression) for interesting news about eyeglasses online. Over the holiday period, we noticed a great story in a local British newspaper, Runcorn and Widnes World, about shoppers donating old and unused glasses to help villagers in Africa see more clearly.

The twin towns of Runcorn and Widnes are on the banks of the River Mersey, not far from The Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool. Local branches of the optician Specsavers together received donations of more than 7,500 pairs of glasses from local shoppers, which will be sent to some of the poorest people in the world to help them see properly.

The campaign was organized by the Vision Aid Overseas charity, which was founded in 1985 with the mission to enable people living in poverty to access affordable glasses and eye care. Specsavers has been supporting the charity for almost a decade.

Speaking about the charity drive, the director of the Runcorn Specsavers store said: “The campaign has been a massive success thanks to our very kind and generous customers bringing in their old glasses. Every single one will make a difference … In poorer parts of the world where people don’t have access to eye care services, these donations and Vision Aid Overseas can make a significant impact on people’s lives.”

We particularly liked this story as it reminded us of our own Visualize Change program. In partnership with humanitarian organizations including SEE International, Feed the Children, Direct Relief and Best Day Foundation, every time we sell a pair of eyeglasses online or through a retailer, we donate a pair to children and adults in need, both within the US and around the world. That’s because we believe that companies can make a change in the world, and to date, we have donated over half a million pairs of glasses through the Visualize Change program.