People use contact lenses for numerous reasons; some of them is to change the appearance of the color of the eyes or to avoid wearing spectacles. Unfortunately, people purchase a lot of contact lenses in a year but cannot use them until their next eye exam. These unused, unopened, and unexpired contact lenses are either kept in-house as a showpiece or are thrown into the trash. Let us see how to donate Contact lenses.
Donate Contact Lenses
Instead of making a collection out of your contact lenses, it is better to donate them somewhere it will be of more use. Some individuals cannot afford these lenses; it would be a great help if you could donate these to them. Non-Profit Organizations(NGOs) like NewEyes accept new contact lenses.
Can you donate contact lenses?
Yes, new, unopened, and unexpired contact lenses can be donated. For example, if there are a ton of contact lenses in your house that are as new as they were on the day of purchase, they can be donated.
Why is it necessary to donate contact lenses?
It is not necessary to donate your unused or unexpired contact lenses. But think of those people or children who aren’t rich enough to afford an eye exam. So, instead of storing the contact lenses because your eye prescription got changed or they are no longer needed because you’ve finally opted for LASIK. It is better to donate to someone needy and one who couldn’t afford them.
How can you donate contact lenses?
You can donate your contact lenses to a specific Non-Profitable Organization that accepts new, unopened, and unexpired contact lenses. You have to contact them to the donation of your contact lenses.
Where can you donate your contact lenses?
As mentioned earlier, various firms and Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs) accept unused and unexpired contact lenses. Firstly you need to select a particular Non-profit organization or a firm to accept your unexpired, unused contact lenses and contact them. They will ask you to fill up a form, but in most cases, they don’t. After that, you donate your unopened or unexpired contact lenses to the firm or NGO via mail. You need to be very curious about the packaging of the contact lenses to prevent them from any damage while shipping. So for that, your packaging should be up to the mark.
How can you be sure that your donated contact lenses are appropriately utilized?
You should be aware that unused or unexpired contact lenses are appropriately utilized. For that, before donating the contact lenses to a particular firm or NGO, you inquire about it or at least could have a look at the firm’s history.
Some of the renounced firms or NGOs are:
1. Donate Contacts: Based in Florida, founded by young philanthropists, it has successfully shipped more than 1.2 billion lenses and is eager for more. To be their donor, you need to pack your unexpired and unused lenses to:
Ella Millen
2602 NW 41st Street
Boca Raton, FL 33434
2. New Eyes: Another Non-Profit Organization is NewEyes. Its emphasis is on the betterment of the vision of children and adults across the United States.
What is the other alternative if not donating?
In some cases, such as used or expired contact lenses, donating is not an option, so what are its alternatives?
Contact Lenses have been more convenient in recent days. The majority of people prefer lenses over spectacles these days. However, most individuals are unaware that lenses are made up of plastic and how harmful plastic is to our environment. Studies show that most contact lenses are thrown or flushed in the toilet, which ultimately harms our environment.
There are some ways in which this can be stopped:
1. Recycling: Some companies run a specific recycling program to recycle lenses. You can ship your used lenses and packaging to a company with a recycling program or visit a doctor’s clinic.
2. Prevention: Some contact lenses are used for a year or longer and are called Gas Permeable lenses (GP). Contact lenses are also available in various variants based on wear time, mostly daily or extended wear. By subscribing to extended wear, you can reduce the number of contact lenses.
Conclusion:
There are millions of people out who are not privileged enough to afford an eye checkup. So the unused and unexpired contact lenses lying in the cupboard will be of no use to you. But it can be a new beginning for millions of individuals and can bring back their smiles. So don’t hesitate to donate to contact NGOs or firms and donate the unused and unexpired contact lenses.
FAQs:
Q. Can you sell contact lenses?
Ans: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have repeatedly confirmed that selling contact lenses – including cosmetic lenses – without requiring a prescription is illegal.
Q. Does unopened contact lenses expire?
Ans: All contact lenses come with an expiration date, which can quickly go unnoticed. These numbers are found on the package itself and are listed as year/month.
Q. Can contact lenses be recycled?
Ans: Yes, they can be recycled.
