It can be easy to take strong eyesight for granted, but it is estimated that 64% of the global population having a distance vision impairment are living with poor vision because they do not have access to corrective eyewear.
To combat this issue, the Sustainability Office holds an annual program each spring to collect used eyeglasses. In addition to helping bring better vision to those in need, the eyeglasses collection program aims to reduce waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill. In the spirit of the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, where universities across America compete to divert the most waste, the eyeglasses collection program runs in parallel each March and includes a departmental competition.
Since its inception in 2014, the program has been run through a valued partnership with the Lions Eye Bank of the Northeast. Lions Eye Bank accepts the collected donations and sends them to The Lions Club International, where they are cleaned and packaged for those in need around the world.
Individuals across the University community donated eyeglasses through drop-offs to the collection box in the Flaum Eye Institute or through the mail-in program. In addition, 39 departments participated in a departmental competition to see who could collect the most glasses and create the most eye-catching collection box.
This year’s results were staggering:
- A total of 4,265 pairs of glasses were collected, surpassing the record set last year by over 1,000 pairs.
- The drop-off box in Flaum Eye Institute received 464 pairs, and the mail-in program generated 188
- The departmental competition resulted in an impressive collection of 1,777 donated eyeglasses.
- Patient and Family Services in the Social Work department at Strong led the effort by collecting the highest number of donations (242 pairs), while Health Information Management at the Brighton Health Center earned special recognition from the Lions Eye Bank for their creative “Eye Candy” themed donation box (pictured above), which was deemed the most eye-catching. Pictures of all decorated boxes are available at the UR Sustainable Facebook page.
A generous donation of 1,836 pairs of new glasses was also given anonymously by an eyeglass company affiliated with a family member of a University employee in Medicaid Enrollment & Outreach/Financial Case Management. Special thanks to this donor and the Medicaid Enrollment & Outreach/Financial Case Management department for coordinating this amazing contribution!
As the Lions Club no longer accepts eyeglass cases for donation, the Sustainability Office was able to repurpose collected cases with the help of Greenovation, a local volunteer-run organization that helps people reuse items instead of sending them to the landfill.
Since the first eyeglass collection in 2014, the University of Rochester has collected an astounding 19,131 pairs of glasses. Altogether, the 4,265 pairs of used and new glasses collected through the 2025 program will continue to make eyecare more accessible to thousands of people around the world.
The Sustainability Office would like to extend its thanks to all those who donated as well as those who helped to implement the program: Susan Warrington and Rebecca Straubel at the Lions Eye Bank at Rochester, Hugh Jantz at University Mail Services, Rachelle Riley at the URMC Post Office, Wendy Winslow at the Flaum Eye Institute, Kim DePrez of Greenovation, and all 39 participating departments.
