Eyeglasses
Help Give the Gift of Sight
More than two billion people worldwide are in need of eyewear because of income, distance, or disaster. We distribute reading glasses as we have them. You can help us in our effort by donating funds to help us purchase more pairs of reading glasses and expanding the assistance we can provide.
How Eyeglasses Make a Difference
“An older gentleman slowly shuffles over and sits down in front of me with his walking staff. He wore a traditional white priest robe over a dusty gray suit stitched on the cuffs several times with red thread in repair. I think these are possibly his only clothes.
“He clutches a small, ratty prayer book in his hands. He motions to his eyes and shakes the prayer book at me. Without even the assistance of the translator I realize his goal: to be able to read his daily prayers.
“I take out my penlight and see his eyes are both are clouded over with cataracts, but I have a small solution. I reach into my bag of donated $3 reading glasses and pick out the last pair: bright red ones.
“I put them on his face. He looks down at the words in his tattered book and tears start to stream down his face. With the biggest, almost toothless smile, he grabs my hand in his rough one and kisses it multiple times.
“The simple luxury of picking out some frames at Walgreens was not his. But with tears in my eyes, I knew I had made a difference and my heart was full once more.”
– Nurse Michelene, IMR Team Ethiopia
