It’s always sad to see a group of compassionate, dedicated people with high ideals arguing over the detail of how they attain the greater good.
Doing good is not as straightforward as you might think, especially when political correctness and international agencies get involved. The final decision on the use of recycled specs will no doubt be decided following the debates planned for this autumn, sadly not everyone will get the decision they want. On the one hand you have dedicated eye care professionals willing to do what they can on a practical level to help those in the Third World. The politics of international charity operate in a different sphere of best practice and NGOs.
VAO has always had a special place in the heart of optics and provides a clear line from old spectacles handed back into a practice when a new one is purchased, through fund-raising, outreach and optical industry support and establishment of vision centres plus the training to make them function.
It would be a shame to see VAO damaged in any way by such a row. Surely a compromise for the collection and use, somehow, of old spectacles can be found.
By Chris Bennett.