Recycling your specs is a simple solution to a global problem
Downpatrick Lions have their eye of an issue of global significance.
They have been collecting people’s old specs to send to France for recycling.
Did you know that globally at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment.
In almost half of these cases vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be dealt with.
And spectacles are considered to be the fifth most important invention since humans discovered fire and invented the wheel.
Neil Hamilton, Downpatrick Lions Club specs’ organiser, said: “For many years Downpatrick Lions club, as part of the Lions Clubs International global imitative, have been undertaking a collection and recycling of spectacles.
“They recently sent of a box containing 230 spectacles to Medico Lions Clubs in France.
“In Le Harve in France the spectacles will be cleaned, repaired and optically graded.
“Then they will be distributed via the Lions Club network to countries where there is an urgent need for spectacles.
“Specsavers in Downpatrick has kindly agreed for the Downpatrick Lions club to place a spectacle recycling bin on their premises for the public to drop off their unwanted glasses.
“We are hoping that more locations will be available in the near future.
“So help us transform an individual’s life, indeed change their world by a simple act of recycling your unwanted specs.
“Every pair of glasses means a more fulfilled person at the other end, mostly in Third World countries,” added Neil Hamilton.
