So you think you need a pair of new eyeglasses. Maybe you are just tired of your old pair of eyeglasses or maybe your prescription has changed, forcing you to buy a new pair. Are you left wondering what to do with your old pair of eyeglasses? You know that they are in perfectly good working condition and are reluctant to just throw them out.

If your prescription has not changed much then there will not be much difference between the old lenses and new ones. It is therefore a very good idea to keep the old pair just in case of an emergency. You never know when you want a backup pair; camping, travelling, or just to have in the car. Ask anyone who wears reading glasses and thhey will let you know, you can never have enough pairs. Plus, your new frame may take some adjusting and if you are really uncomfortable, you can always revert back to the old one till you settle in with the new one. Also, it is always better to be prepared for mishaps like broken eyeglasses with at least one spare in the house.

If your prescription has changed and you have a new pair made for you, then you obviously have no use for the old pair. Consider donating this old pair and making a significant difference to one’s life.

The World Health Organization states that almost a quarter of the world’s population is in urgent need of eyeglasses. In some African countries, buying a pair of eyeglasses costs as much as three months average salary. Small wonder then that thousands of visually impaired people are jobless, as they cannot afford a pair of eyeglasses. There are thousands more mothers in poor areas that cannot see the faces of their young children clearly because of their bad eyesight. All this while roughly more than four million old or unused eyeglasses are estimated to be thrown in to the garbage, in North America alone.

Donating your eyeglass can save someone’s eyes and even his livelihood. And it is not difficult to do so. There are many groups that collect eyeglasses and sunglasses, and recycle them to make them usable again for extremely needy people. For example, Goodwill Industries stores, Lions Club drop boxes and LensCrafters stores all accept various types of eyeglasses - prescription or non-prescription eyeglasses, prescription or non-prescription sunglasses, and reading glasses.

New Eyes for the Needy or Lions Club have many outlets for accepting eyeglasses in donation. Usually all these charities will have drop boxes in an area close to your area. If you do not find any drop box close by, you can always mail the items after packing them carefully in padded boxes or envelopes. It is always helpful if you could also donate the case containing the eyeglasses.

These charities forward all the eyeglasses they have received, to medical missions in various countries where they are needed urgently. In fact, these eye care clinics are called as "joy clinics" because of the joy that these eyeglass donations bring to people who receive them. Whether, it is for a mother who is able to see her young child clearly for the first time or a young boy who is able to read books properly for the first time, the gift of sight is unique indeed.