Glasses/spectacles

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Do you really need to pass your glasses on?

If your prescription has changed but you still like the frame of your existing glasses, most opticians can change the lenses. There is also an online service called Framesavers that does this.

Who will take used glasses/spectacles?

Lions Club collection boxes The Lions Club glasses reuse scheme collects tens of thousands of pairs of unwanted and damaged spectacles each year. Volunteers sort through them and those suitable for reuse are sent to eye clinics in various countries. Broken and unsalvageable spectacles are recycled for scrap metal. The Lions Club collection boxes can be found in various opticians and eye clinics. They're all over the country, so we can't list them all here, but try looking on the website of your nearest Lions Club or contacting your nearest optician to ask.


 * Donation points for glasses/spectacles in Bridgend, South Wales

Not taking/no longer taking glasses


 * You can't put glasses in your household recycling or take them to a recycling centre.
 * Most charity shops can't sell prescription glasses (or sunglasses) and have to bin any they receive as donations.
 * Vision Aid Overseas closed its glasses recycling scheme in April 2020 because it no longer covers its costs. (They never passed glasses on to new wearers, just recycled the materials.)