The Tree of Sight — donate spectacles to a child in Thane

Tree of Sight

Tree of Sight — donate spectacles in Thane.

A pair of spectacles sitting unused in your drawer is, for a child in a municipal school, the difference between reading the blackboard and quietly falling behind. Donate or sponsor a frame at either outlet and we will put it on a face that needs it.

Donate or sponsorA used frame, or a new one
School screening campsWhere the children are identified
Their own prescriptionEvery pair is glazed to the child
The Tree of Sight artwork painted across the storefront glass at Vision & Optics, Ghodbunder Road, Thane

Where the tree came from

The tree is painted across the glass at the Ghodbunder Road outlet. It started as a way of keeping count — a leaf for a pair that found someone — and turned into the thing people ask about most when they walk in. Children notice it before their parents do.

The idea behind it is not complicated. Uncorrected refractive error is one of the easiest problems in medicine to fix and one of the most quietly damaging to leave alone. A child who cannot read the blackboard does not usually say so. They fall behind, and everyone concludes something else is wrong.

What we do with what you give

We collect frames — donated or sponsored — and match them to children identified through school screening camps. Each pair is glazed to that child's prescription. A donated lens is no use to someone with a different number, so the frame is what matters.

  1. 1
    Donate or sponsor a frame

    Bring in a pair you no longer wear, or sponsor a new one, at either outlet. Leave your name at the counter if you would like to know where it ends up.

  2. 2
    We check and repair it

    Bent temples, loose hinges and missing screws are all fixable. A frame does not need to be perfect to be useful.

  3. 3
    It goes to a child who needs it

    Matched at a school screening camp and glazed to that child's own prescription.

If you would like to do more

Schools, housing societies and companies in Thane occasionally run collection drives for us — a box at reception for a fortnight gathers a surprising number of unused pairs. If you want to organise one, message us and we will send what you need.

We are also always glad to hear from optometrists and schools who want a screening camp arranged. That is the part of this that actually finds the children.

A note on what we don't claim

We haven't put a running total of donated pairs on this page, and we won't until we can publish a number we have actually verified. Plenty of campaigns quote figures nobody can check. We would rather show you the tree.

Tree of Sight

How it works.

What condition do the donated frames need to be in?

Wearable. A frame with a bent temple or a missing screw is fine — those are fixable. Snapped fronts and badly scratched lenses generally aren't worth reglazing, but bring them anyway and we'll tell you.

Do the lenses get reused?

The frame is what we're collecting. Lenses are made to the recipient's own prescription — a donated pair with someone else's power in it is no use to a child who needs their own correction.

Can I sponsor without donating an old pair?

Yes. Sponsoring a new frame for a child is exactly as welcome, and in some ways more useful because we can match it to a face that needs a particular size.

Do I get anything in return?

Our thanks, and a leaf on the storefront glass. Tree of Sight is not a discount scheme — it exists because uncorrected refractive error is one of the easiest problems in medicine to fix and one of the most quietly damaging to leave alone.

Who receives the spectacles?

Children identified through school screening camps who need a correction and would otherwise go without one. Each pair is made to that child's own prescription.

Where our customers come fromOur Ghodbunder Road outlet serves Ovala, Kasarvadavali, Waghbil, Owale, Brahmand, Anand Nagar, Manpada, Hiranandani Estate, Kolshet and the rest of Ghodbunder Road. Our Bhaskar Colony outlet serves Naupada, Teen Hath Naka, Panchpakhadi, Charai, Chendani, Vartak Nagar, Kopri and central Thane West.

Have a pair in a drawer?

Bring it to either outlet. It takes two minutes and someone gets to read the blackboard.

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