Helping the world to see

Dayton Valley Lions Club member Jim Capistrant cleans the used eyeglasses he collects for recycling in an unusual yet effective way: he runs them through his dishwasher. It is the first of many steps before the glasses - once cleaned, sorted and packaged - make their way into the hands of the developing world's needy.

As you clean out your closet in May, the Lions Club hopes you will donate your old glasses (either prescription, nonprescription or sunglasses), instead of throwing them out.

"On average, I collect 120 glasses a month, but last month I collected 300 pairs," Capistrant said. "We've barely scratched the surface."

Last year, Lions in Sight collected 5.5 million used glasses nationwide and provided eyewear to 3 million Third World people. According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of one-quarter of the globe's population can be improved with corrective lenses.

Glasses collected in Northern Nevada are sent to a recycling center in Reno, where they are further cleaned and run through a lensometer, before being shipped to a warehouse in Vallejo, Calif. Teams of volunteer eye-doctors and Lions Club members then travel to Third World countries, where they perform eye exams and distribute the glasses.

Don Owens, chairman of the Lions in Sight committee, recently returned from an eight-day trip to Mexico, where his team handed out 1,300 glasses and gave 1,500 eye exams.

"We're dealing with the poorest of the poor," Owens said. "It's not uncommon to find people living on $80 a year. In Mexico, it costs $20 for an eye exam and glasses. That's a fourth of their income. They can't afford that."

During the exams, Owens and his team routinely uncover a host of other medical problems, ranging from diabetes to cancer, from acute astigmatism to cataracts.

"We have a moral obligation to deal with these issues," Owens said. "We can't just say, 'Here are your glasses, but they won't do you much good, because you have cancer.'"

To that end, the Mexican government provides the temporary clinics with nurses who give on-site referrals. Lions International also donates money to pay for additional medical treatment.

"The Mexican government recognizes the tremendous service we're doing and works closely with us," Owens said.

Lions in Sight has established 35 permanent clinics in Mexico, open two days a week and staffed with volunteers and stocked with glasses.

"Those work really well," Owens said. "We process 1.6 million glasses a year in Vallejo, and the demand at our permanent clinics is 1.6 million glasses. So we have trouble building a surplus."

During the recycling process, nothing goes to waste. Broken or scratched lenses are pushed out, so that the frames can be reused, while the lenses themselves are recycled. The same goes for glasses that arrive with broken frames.

"We give these glasses new life," Owens said. "We're not giving away junk. Nothing goes to waste."

Lions in Sight benefits people in the United States as well. Although it is illegal to distribute recycled glasses in most states, including Nevada, Arizona and Florida have enacted legislation that lets the Lions Club give away repaired second-hand glasses.

In Arizona, Lions in Sight has been so successful that it has grown from a two-county experiment to a statewide program. With the rising cost of health care, that translates into big savings for state governments, Owens said.

According to Owens, 20 percent of the U.S. population under 40, and 100 percent of people over 42, wear prescription glasses of some kind.

"We receive only 5 percent of those," Owens said. "We really urge parents to donate their children's glasses after they've grown out of them or need a new prescription. It's really difficult trying to fit a pair of adult glasses on a 10-year-old."

n Contact reporter Dan Moreau at dmoreau@nevadaappeal.com or 887-2430 ext. 351.

needed

The Dayton Valley Lions Club is collecting used prescription and nonprescription glasses and sunglasses to send to developing countries. Drop-off boxes in Dayton are at:

• Smith's pharmacy, 2200 Highway 50 E.

• Dick's Cleaners, 120 Highway 50 E.

• Dayton Public Library, 321 Old Dayton Valley Road

• Dayton Senior Citizens Center, 320 Dayton Valley Road

• Stor-all/U-Haul Trucks, 8 Retail Road

• FISH, 4960 Highway 50 E.