Katrina teaches clients how to declutter, organise and create a more joyful home. She also presents a corporate workshops on wellbeing, productivity and effective organisation.
 

Glasses & Eyewear

“Please do not donate unwanted spectacles to your local charity shop unless they specifically request them. Most cannot resell glasses - or sunglasses - with prescription lenses, so they will just end up in the bin.”
 
WATERCOLOUR GLASSES
 
 

Donate eyeglasses to Vision Aid Overseas

Unfortunately, as of August 2020, Vision Aid Overseas will no longer accept unwanted, used spectacles from the optical sector and general public for recycling.

Previous guidance: The best know organisation to which you can donate them is Vision Aid Overseas. They will be recycled to raise money for their work in the developing world. Your glasses can be left at opticians throughout the UK and they will be recycled to raise money for their work in the developing world. You can donate them at many branches of Vision Express, Specsavers and Boots Opticians as well as many independant opticians.

Donate used and broken eyeglasses to Onesight

Onesight accepts used and broken glasses and transfers them for responsible recycling.

Donate eyeglasses to Lions Clubs

Lions Clubs around the UK collect spectacles for reuse via Chichester Lions. Take your old pairs to a Lions Club eyeglass donation bin in your town, or mail them to the Lions Clubs International headquarters. Visit here for more details on how and where to send them. They accept both prescription and non-prescription eyewear, in both adults' and children's sizes as well as sunglasses.

Mission for Vision

As a Christian charity, they work with churches and missionaries in the ares they visit to provide sight tests, glasses, protective sunglasses, medication and cataract operations. They currently have enough donations but it’s worth checking back here when you’re ready to sacrifice your next pair.

Donate glasses to Marie Curie

Marie Curie is supporting Lions Clubs International in recycling old glasses for people who need them in communities across Africa, India and Eastern Europe. All our shops will have boxes where spectacles can be dropped off for spectacle recycling. You can get involved by donating any old glasses you have to your nearest Marie Curie Charity Shop.

Send to Retrospecced for recycling

If you have old designer spectacles, or even antique / retro spectacles in your possession that you’re wondering what to do with and are too good to throw away, send them to Retrospecced to be upcycled and also contribute directly to their partner charity, Vision Aid Overseas.

Spectacles must be in pristine condition. For each pair that they are able to use, you will receive a £5 voucher.

 

If you’re keeping them…

Re-lens them

If it's just a matter of updating your prescription or if your lenses are scratched, a simple re-lens will do the trick to get them back in working order. Take your glasses to your optometrist or ophthalmologist and ask them to replace your lenses. Ask them if they will reuse the lenses, and if not, find a program that will recycle them for you.

Repair them

Wear and tear on your glasses is bound to happen after wearing them for a while. They might have loose hinges, missing nose pads or bent arms. Your eye doctor might be able to fix your glasses for you, or point you in the right direction to get them fixed. Alternatively, if you're feeling crafty, try fixing them yourself. You'll need some special tools to work with the small screws and hinges, but it's a skill that's easily learnt.