The Singapore Medical Group has launched a public appeal for a million pairs of used spectacles for both children and adults to commemorate World Sight Day, a global effort to prevent blindness.
The recycled spectacles will be distributed to children and adults in need in developing regional countries.
Both plastic and metal frames are wanted and collection boxes have been placed in all Singapore Medical Group clinics.
According to The World Health Organization, about 37 million people worldwide are blind and 124 million people have poor vision.
Without intervention, the number of blind people is set to increase to 75 million
by 2020.
Myopia is reaching epidemic proportions, especially in Asia, due to urbanisation and increased screen and text-based activity throughout all aspects of our daily lives.
The number of people suffering from myopia in the world is expected to grow from 1.6 billion now to a staggering 2.5 billion by 2020.
ooo i do have 2 unused frames at home right now.
Commemorating World Sight Day
To commemorate World Sight Day, a local healthcare group is appealing for one million pairs of used spectacles for needy children and adults in developing Asian countries.
The Singapore Medical Group has set up collection boxes at its six clinics in Novena Medical Centre and Paragon Medical centre.
The public can donate prescription and non-prescription glasses in plastic or metal frames.
Children's glasses are especially needed.
World Sight Day, held on the second Thursday of October, is a worldwide initiative to eliminate blindness by the year 2020.
According to the World Health Organization, about 37 million people worldwide are blind and 124 million have poor vision.
Without intervention, the number of blind people could increase to 75 million by 2020.
And the number of those suffering from myopia is expected to grow from 1.6 billion to 2.5 billion. -938Live