Dartmouth Rotary Club has received its largest box of glasses yet as part of its Vision Action initiative. Run by the Dartmouth Rotary in conjunction with local opticians Dart Optical, the initiative provides unwanted pairs of glasses for people in the Third World.

Owner Lisa Marsland said customers continued to generously donate their old specs to the cause. She handed over a box full to the brim to Dartmouth Rotarian, Hilary Bastone, who has collected thousands of pairs of spectacles over the past 25 years to help those disadvantaged by poor vision in developing countries.

He said: “If you are like me and change your glasses every two years, then please donate the old ones. They still have a use and can be recycled.”

About 670 million people—more than 10 per cent of the world’s population—are disadvantaged by poor vision and a lack of glasses.

The international charity Vision Aid Overseas, now called Vision Action, was founded in 1985 with the mission to enable people living in poverty to access affordable eye care. The organisation began when a group of optometrists and dispensing opticians, led by Brian Ellis MBE, realised how many people were prevented from learning or earning simply due to a lack of access to affordable eye tests and glasses and understood that 90 per cent of these issues were preventable or curable.

To find out more about Dartmouth Rotary Club or if you are interested in becoming a member, visit their website.