NJ Doctor Collects Prescription Eyeglasses For People In Need

JAMESBURG, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey eye doctor is collecting used prescription glasses to help those in need.

"We're looking to collect 2,016 in 2016," Dr. Magdalena Spiewak told WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron.

Spiewak got the idea after one of her patients asked her if there was something he could do with his old glasses.

"There's people in need all over the world that don't have the resources that we have here," Spiewak said. "A lot of useful glasses are going to waste because people are just throwing them out when they can change somebody's life."

So far Spiewak of Jamesburg Family Eyecare has collected about 250 prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses.

"It could be bifocals, any prescription pair of glasses, but they have to be in usable condition so they can't be broken or missing pieces," Spiewak said.

The glasses will first go to the Lion's Club in West Trenton, where they will be sorted by prescription and cleaned and then distributed to those in need.

The eyewear will be donated to people in Haiti, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

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