MHA to Offer Free Reading Glasses to the Community on May 21

SPRINGFIELD — To help celebrate Healthy Vision Month in May, MHA is giving away free reading glasses to members of the community. On Tuesday, May 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at MHA’s main office, 995 Worthington St., Springfield, a pair of reading glasses will be available for free to any adult for the asking.

Four hundred pairs of reading glasses were recently donated to MHA by the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, and MHA presented a You Matter award to the Lions organization to recognize its generosity.

“The donated reading glasses have been benefiting MHA’s Good to Go initiative, which enables MHA to supply program participants with basic personal items,” said Kimberley Lee, vice president, Resource Development & Branding for MHA. “The Lions were so generous with their donation that MHA feels it’s important to share our good fortune with the community. The reading glasses are available in 10 levels of magnification in men’s and women’s styles.”

Why do people need reading glasses? “Around middle age, people find their up-close vision starts to get blurry,” Lee explained. “That’s because the lens of the human eye becomes less flexible with age. It’s a condition called presbyopia, and it’s the reason why, starting after age 40, it becomes harder for people to read books, food labels, or texts on their phone. Reading glasses help by magnifying up-close words and objects so they appear clearer.”

Lee emphasized that MHA is giving away reading glasses, not prescription eyeglasses. “Reading glasses do not have corrective lenses like prescription eyeglasses do. The reading glasses we’re giving away typically cost $20 or more in a pharmacy or the optical department of a discount store. For someone who needs reading glasses, getting a pair for free saves them $20 to use for essentials like food, clothing, bus fare, or rent. So if you need a pair of reading glasses, join us at MHA on May 21 from 1 to 4 p.m.”

Lions Club International is a global organization whose many charitable causes include giving the gift of better sight to millions of impoverished individuals throughout the world.

MHA’s Good to Go initiative enables MHA to supply individuals it serves with basic personal items, ranging from shampoo and soap to clothes and shoes — and, now, reading glasses. People in crisis often arrive at MHA with nothing but the clothes on their back, literally. These people are desperately in need of a soft landing, and Good to Go helps provide it.