Othello Lions asks for used eyeglasses

OTHELLO – If you’re like a lot of eyeglass wearers, you have old pairs of lenses lying around your home just taking up space, and you sometimes think about getting rid of them.

The Othello Lions Club has an idea that would serve your need while you serve the needs of the world. It is participating in Lions World Sight Day, Oct 10-14, a week dedicated to saving sight.

Lions World Sight Day is a long-ime project. It collects used eyeglasses to recycle for the benefit of others. Eyeglass collection boxes are located at Columbia Bank, U. S. Bank, Mid Columbia Library, Columbia Basin Health Association Eye Clinic and all Othello Schools.

“It is estimated that 40 million people around the world are blind,” said Bill Bethmann, president of the Othello Lions Club. “Used glasses are collected to combat the leading causes of blindness and assist in preserving vision.”

The World Health Organization has estimated that the number of blind people in the world could double in the next 25 years. In the United States, approximately 750,000 people are blind and an additional 50,000 more will become blind each year, according to the National Federation of the Blind.

As in most developed countries, glaucoma and diabetes are the leading causes of blindness in the United States.

Lions clubs are groups of men and women who identify needs within their communities and work together to fill those needs. The Othello Lions Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Othello Senior Center.

For more information or to get involved with the Othello Lions Club, you may contact President Bill Bethmann at 488-2919.