All items · Health & beauty
Prescription glasses
Also covers: spectacles, reading glasses, eyeglasses
Can you donate prescription glasses to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
The short answer
Almost all say no
Of the 153 UK charities we track, 37 say no and 1 may accept in some cases. 1 of those is a category-wide rule rather than a direct mention.
Evidence last verified
Why shops may refuse it
Prescriptions are personal, so shops can't resell them — several charities that used to collect them no longer do.
What to do instead
Many opticians (including large chains) still collect old glasses for recycling schemes.
Charity by charity
38 mentions-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription eyewear or sunglasses without UVA/UVB Mark”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses/sunglasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
They suggest recycling via opticians' schemes instead.
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Medication or medical equipment (including prescription glasses)”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription Glasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescriptions spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
Nightingale House Hospice category-wide rule
Stated as a whole item type they don't accept.
Their wording
“Health & personal care items”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Reading/Prescription glasses (wellbeing reasons).”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Donors are redirected to opticians' recycling schemes.
Their wording
“Spectacles: Many opticians collect used glasses for charitable reuse programmes.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item for wellbeing reasons. We have to make sure everything we sell is safe and suitable to use, and we can’t always be sure about certain items.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
'Prescription eyewear' not accepted.
Their wording
“Personal items: Used underwear, piercing jewellery, used cosmetics or toiletries, and prescription eyewear.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Prescription glasses listed under items the charity cannot take.
Their wording
“Underwear, safety equipment, safety helmets, safety harnesses, cycle helmets, life jackets or buoyancy aids, weapons, prescription glasses, items made from ivory, personal items, such as shavers (unless unused and in a sealed box)”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses”
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Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription glasses, toiletries, cleaning agents or solvents”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescriptions spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescriptions spectacles.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Prescription spectacles.”
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Check first
Only accepted if the lens strength is indicated.
Their wording
“prescription spectacles with no indication of lens strength”
Not mentioned in 115 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Acorns Children's Hospice
- Age UK
- Ardgowan Hospice
- Ashgate Hospicecare
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnardo's
- Barnsley Hospice
- Blythe House Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- Butterfly Hospice Trust
- Butterwick Hospice
- Children's Hospice South West
- Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
- Claire House Children's Hospice
- Cransley Hospice Trust
- Crisis
- DEBRA
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Dogs Trust
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- Dr Kershaw's Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria's Children's Hospice
- Emmaus
- Farleigh Hospice
- Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
- Forget Me Not Children's Hospice
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Great Oaks Hospice
- Helen & Douglas House
- Highland Hospice
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice Isle of Man
- Hospice of the Good Shepherd
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Jersey Hospice Care
- Julia's House
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Katharine House Hospice, Banbury
- Keech Hospice Care
- Lewis-Manning Hospice Care
- LOROS Hospice
- Marie Curie
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Naomi House & Jack's Place
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Nottinghamshire Hospice
- Octavia Foundation
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Phyllis Tuckwell
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Samaritans
- Save the Children
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- Shelter
- Shooting Star Children's Hospices
- St Andrew's Hospice (Lanarkshire)
- St Catherine's Hospice (Crawley)
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Columba's Hospice
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St David's Hospice Care
- St Giles Hospice
- St Helena Hospice
- St John's Hospice (London)
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
- St Luke's Hospice Basildon & Thurrock
- St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Michael's Hospice (North Hampshire)
- St Nicholas Hospice Care
- St Peter & St James Hospice
- St Raphael's Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
- St Vincent's Hospice
- St Wilfrid's Hospice
- Strathcarron Hospice
- Sue Ryder
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Treetops Hospice Trust
- Trinity Hospice (Blackpool)
- Tynedale Hospice at Home
- Wakefield Hospice
- Wales Air Ambulance
- Weldmar Hospicecare
- Willen Hospice
- Willow Burn Hospice
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Willowbrook Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Wisdom Hospice
- Woking & Sam Beare Hospices
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)