Free Vision Clinic, Glasses For Those In Need Saturday

SHORT HILLS, NJ - New Eyes for the Needy, a not-for-profit, is holding a community vision clinic and eyeglass fitting event, all under one roof, on Dec/ 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Eyes’ location at 549 Millburn Ave.

Attendees who already have an eyeglass prescription can select and order free eyeglasses. Optometrists will be onsite for a limited number of eye exams for those who do not have a prescription, so that they can also receive new eyeglasses.

To be eligible to attend, individuals and families must be in financial need, and have no other resources available to them to pay for glasses, including federal or state programs or assistance from local charitable organizations.

“Our core mission is to bring clearer vision to those in need in the United States and throughout the world. And we want to also make a deep impact in the lives of our fellow New Jersey residents who might not be able to afford a new pair of prescription eyeglasses,” said Executive Director, New Eyes for the Needy Jean Gajano. “With our inaugural community vision clinic, we’re giving people who qualify, a one-stop-shop to have their vision checked, speak with optometrists onsite, and, with help from our many volunteers, pick a pair of prescription eyeglasses.”

Actor/producer Jake Gyllenhaal is an advocate and spokesperson for New Eyes for the Needy. Since 1932, New Eyes has been providing new prescription eyeglasses for low income U.S. residents. In addition, the non-profit recycles gently used glasses overseas for distribution in developing countries.

"Want a shock? Over two billion people around the world struggle with poor eyesight," said Gyllenhaal. "That's 6 in 10 of our fellow humans who need glasses in order to perform the most basic business of modern life with comfort and clear vision. And yet, up to 30 percent of those people in the US and around the world do not have access to the medical attention they need to get them fitted with the proper prescription lenses."

In 2016, New Eyes launched the 20/20 for 2020 campaign, which is on track to raise $1,000,000 and collect 1,000,000 pairs of gently used glasses by the year 2020.

For more information visit https://www.new-eyes.org/.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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