Lions collecting old eyeglasses, hearing aids

As the leaves change and autumn arrives, the Broadview Heights Lions Club is asking people to look through drawers and closets for old, unwanted eyeglasses and hearing aids to donate to the Broadview Heights Lions Club’s Recycle for Sight and hearing programs.

Since 1925, Lions International has been a champion in helping combat vision impairment and blindness. With this same conviction, Lions have also been a force in providing medical care and education to help prevent hearing loss.

Throughout the year, the Broadview Heights Lions Club collects used prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and hearing aids as part of a unique recycling program throughout the United States and Canada. The donated items will be distributed to those in need in developing countries where vision and hearing care are often unaffordable and inaccessible.

“We need everyone to donate their old glasses and hearing aids,” said Kevin Barrett, Broadview Heights Lions Club Vision Committee member. “In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.”

The collected items will be shipped to regional Lions recycling centers where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups. According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of approximately one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses.

Drop-off locations include:

  • Broadview Eye Center: 1261 W. Royalton Rd., Broadview Heights, OH 44147
  • Clear Choice Lasik Eye Center: 7001 S. Edgerton Rd., Suite D, Brecksville, OH 44141
  • Stage House Vision Center: 8879 Brecksville Rd., Brecksville, OH 44141
  • Brecksville Opticians: 7640 Chippewa Rd., Brecksville, OH 44141
  • Pleasant Valley Eye Care: 7630 Broadview Rd., Parma, OH 44134
  • Optometric Associates (Sue): 7305 Broadview Rd., Seven Hills, OH 44131
  • Broadview Hts Recreation Center
  • Brecksville Human Services (located in the Senior Services area)

For more information, contact Lion Kevin Barrett at kevinbpepper@aol.com.