Journey of a Pair of Eyeglasses

In the recycling center

A person donates glasses at a location that has a collection box, or takes or mails them to the recycling center.

Volunteers sort the used eyeglasses separating intact pairs and sunglasses, from broken frames and loose lenses

Glasses are washed, disinfected and checked again to assure that they have good lenses.

The prescription of the glasses is determined by the lensometer.

Glasses are packaged in boxes of 50 by prescription and stored until they are requested by an eyeglass dispensing mission.

At the mission

Volunteers sort the eyeglasses in preparation for the first day of the mission.

Hundreds of people wait in line to have their eyes examined and receive a pair of eyeglasses.

The recipient has his eyes tested, for example, by the hand- held autorefractor provided by the recycling center.

The recipient is fitted with the appropriate pair of eyeglasses taken from the boxes donated by the recycling center

The glasses will help the recipient maintain employment allowing him or her to continue to support his or her family, or help child advance in school