KANE — As spring cleaning gets under way, the Kane Lions are asking people to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.

During the month of May, the Kane Lions Club will collect used prescription eyeglasses and prescription and non-prescription sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program. The collected glasses will be cleaned and prepared for distribution in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

“We need everyone to donate their used eyeglasses,” said Chris Niklaus. “In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.”

The donated glasses will be shipped to longtime optometrist and Lions Club member Dr. Robert Riegel in Ridgway and from there to a regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups.

To donate used glasses (including sunglasses and reading glasses), place them in the specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes located at Allegheny Eye Care, District Magistrate Dave Engman’s Office, Friends Library and Szymanski’s Restaurant. The Lions are also investigating locations at the Kane and Mount Jewett Senior Centers. These locations are permanent locations and glasses can be dropped off year-round.

For more information on the Kane Lions Club or the Recycle for Sight program, contact Joe Thornburgh or Dave Kearney.