Mayo Lions Club marks Lions Vision Week with eyeglass appeal

WESTPORT Lions Club is encouraging the local community to donate unwanted prescription glasses as part of Lions Vision Week, a global effort dedicated to sight conservation.

Sight projects have been central to Lions Clubs International since 1925, when Helen Keller addressed their convention and challenged members to become 'Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness'.

Today, uncorrected vision problems affect an estimated 120 million people worldwide yet in almost all cases, a simple pair of glasses can completely restore normal vision.

Through the Lions eyeglass recycling initiative, millions of donated pairs are collected globally every year. They are cleaned, measured for prescription strength, and distributed free of charge to communities in developing countries where access to optometry is severely limited.

A single pair of recycled glasses directly impacts a person’s daily life:

It allows a child to read, write, and stay in education.

It enables adults to work, gain employment, and support their families.

It helps older adults retain their independence.

Even damaged frames are repurposed to raise funds for sight programs.

To support the appeal, drop your pre-loved prescription or reading glasses into the dedicated Westport Lions collection box located inside SuperValu Westport next time you do your shop.

Westport Lions Club extends its warm thanks to the management and staff at SuperValu Westport for hosting the box. Special thanks also go to Chris Kelly, who handcrafted the collection box, and Chris Harper, who created and fitted the artwork for the sign.