Statewide Lions Recycle For Sight Program, Jan. 20

The glasses will be distributed to those in need within developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. Photo Courtesy

The 9th annual “Lions in Sight” statewide eyeglass and hearing aid collection will take place on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at select locations throughout Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiʻi Lions are asking people to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and hearing aids and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.

Locations on Maui will be Walmart Kahului and Lahaina Cannery Mall in front of Longs.

The glasses will be distributed to those in need within developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

Interested persons may also place glasses and hearing aids in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes. Locations are also posted on the website.

Recently, 5,000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed to villagers throughout the mountainous terrain of war-torn Afghanistan by Hawaiʻi Lions Club members. In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.

The glasses will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions, Leos 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 a corrective lens.

For more information, call Alice Kudo 456-7278 or email [email protected].