Carolyn Tinney, president of the Lions Club, presents Bob Ederr of H&R Block of Largo with a new drop box.
LARGO – Eyeglasses collected by the local Lions Club can end up with a financially strapped neighbor, a homeless man or woman or thousands of miles away in the jungles of Venezuela.
Surprisingly, about 800 pairs of eyeglasses are left each month at Lions Club drop boxes. In recent times, however, the local needy are getting priority service over those in Third World countries.
“Our mission is to help the needy when they need glasses,” said Carolyn Tinney, Lions Club president.”With the economy the way it is we are looking to help people here more than in the past.”
Millions of men, women and children throughout the world lack access to basic eye care and corrective lenses. Vision loss among children can lead to failure in school, developmental problems and learning disabilities. The lack of eyeglasses for adults can lead to unemployment while senior citizens can face limitations in daily activities.
During the month of May, especially, but also all during the year,Lions Clubs worldwide collect eyeglasses for shipment to recycling centers. Largo members and the Clearwater Lions combine their donations of up to 1,200 each month and send them to Used Eyeglasses Procurement in Ocala where they are cleaned, repaired and processed.
“Regular reading glasses are given to the St. Vincent dePaul Thrift Store in Clearwater where they are distributed to the homeless,” Tinney said.
The glasses are separated by type at the center where prescriptions are determined by a Lensometer. They are then packaged and stored until needed.
“One group of students from the University of Florida recently requested 240 pairs of eyeglasses for their mission project in the Philippines,” Tinney said.
Lenscrafters recently sent their medical bus to Largo where 300 financially-strapped people were fitted with free donated glasses.
So successful is the program that the Lions Club ordered additional drop boxes to supplement those already located in super markets, medical buildings and other businesses.