the good doctor on: How Much Are Your Old Glasses Worth?

Blog #19, What are your used glasses worth?

If you are Ozzie Osbourne, a good bit apparently. Ozzie's prescription glasses are being put up for auction and could fetch up to $5000.

Not bad. How about your glasses? No one is going to give you money for them when you are done with them, but they could be worth a lot to someone in a developing country. Medical Missions International (MMI) which is based in Hamilton, Ontario collects used glasses, cleans and sorts them, then ships them to countries where people need eyecare, such as remote parts of Ghana or Peru. The glasses are sent with a team of eyecare professionals and other volunteers who, with help from local organizers, hold a two-week clinic where they can help thousands of people. These clinics provide eye exams, corrective glasses, and eye surgeries, and are exciting and exhausting to participate in. Not all the stories are dramatic, but there are people who are literally made to see by being given the right treatment or the needed prescription eye glasses. For many of the patients, providing this service just makes it possible for them to have the glasses they need.

So what are your old glasses worth? A great deal. MMI has been grounded due to covid 19 since March like the rest of us, but they are still collecting and sorting and preparing for the day when travel becomes possible. Burlington Eyecare collects glasses for MMI and, as part of a 2020 initiative, way back in January (which does seem like a really long time ago) we committed to donating $20 to MMI for every full pair of glasses we dispense in the year 2020. A two-and-a-half month shut-down has not made this as big a help to MMI as we had hoped, but the year is not finished yet.

So do round up the used glasses lying around and bring them in, they could be worth a great deal to someone. The goal is to help everyone to see 20/20.

Til next week,

The Good Doctor, Dr. Mark Germain, Burlington Optometrist