The regional director at Specsavers Opticians in Beulah Street, is travelling to Gondar in Northern Ethiopia to provide eyecare where optical services are desperately lacking.

John, and a small team of volunteer optical professionals, will test the eyesight of around 2,000 Ethiopian people during the two-week visit, which has been organised by UK charity Vision Aid Overseas.

The gruelling expedition will see John and his fellow volunteers each test and fit up to 250 people a day with the glasses they need.
John said: "A large number of Ethiopians don't have access to eye examinations or glasses and many people find they are unable to work as a result of being deprived of a basic sense that we often take for granted.

"Many of the people we treat will have travelled for days to reach us to have their eyes tested and having this medical attention is likely to improve their lives dramatically."

Since launching in 1985 the charity has provided 600,000 eye tests and given 300,000 people the ability to see with a pair of spectacles. One aspect of Vision Aid Overseas' work is to recycle unwanted spectacles in the UK and send them with teams of optical professionals to the developing world, who set up clinics, screen large numbers of patients and provide appropriate spectacles.

John is hoping Harrogate residents will support his trip by giving their unwanted specs to Vision Aid Overseas by dropping them into the store.

He is also asking locals to consider making a donation to ensure Vision Aid Overseas can reach as many patients as possible. For every pair of spectacles donated it costs at least £3 to get them to the patients who desperately need them.

Jeremy Jalie, Vision Aid Overseas deputy director, added: "Many enter our clinics blind. They are provided with spectacles and leave 20 minutes later able to see for about the cost of a sandwich. Vision Aid Overseas works towards a world in which everyone has access to eyecare and spectacles. Please support us and help us achieve this goal."