I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes — Giving the Gift of Clear Vision

Our Mission

Clear Vision Changes Lives

I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes is a youth-led nonprofit rooted in the Lamorinda community — Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda — in the San Francisco Bay Area. We believe that clear vision is not a luxury. It's a fundamental need that shapes how people learn, work, and experience the world.

Every day, millions of people around the globe go without glasses they desperately need. Meanwhile, millions of usable pairs sit forgotten in drawers across our neighborhoods. We bridge that gap — collecting gently used eyeglasses from our local community and delivering them directly to people in underserved communities through hands-on international vision drives.

"A pair of glasses you no longer need could change someone's world."

Meet the Founder

A Personal Mission

Nitin Ravikumar

Founder & President • Est. 2022

I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes was born from something deeply personal. Growing up, I watched my grandfather struggle with glaucoma — a condition that slowly stole his vision until he was nearly blind. Seeing someone I loved lose the ability to read, recognize faces, and navigate the world around him left a lasting mark on me.

That experience opened my eyes to a harsh reality: millions of people around the world live without access to basic vision care — not because solutions don't exist, but because they're out of reach.

I started this nonprofit as a high school student in Lamorinda, CA with a simple idea: collect the usable eyeglasses sitting unused in our community and get them to people who need them most. What began as a local collection drive has grown into an organization that has distributed over 2,000 pairs of glasses across India, Mexico, and soon Zimbabwe.

Every pair of glasses we deliver carries the same hope — that no one should lose their connection to the world because of something as solvable as poor vision.

Nonprofit Founder Campolindo High School Eagle Scout Candidate UC Berkeley BBAY Financial Literacy Advocate

The Process

How It Works

Three simple steps connect your unused glasses to someone who needs them most.

1

Drop Off

Donate your unused glasses at collection bins located at your local Lamorinda libraries in Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda.

2

We Collect & Sort

Our volunteer team gathers, cleans, and organizes every pair of glasses, readying them for distribution abroad.

3

We Deliver

Our team travels to underserved communities around the world and distributes glasses directly to people in need through hands-on vision drives.

Our Impact

Where We've Been & Where We're Going

Every drive brings clear vision — and new hope — to communities that need it most.

🇮🇳

Tiruchengode, India

July 2022

We partnered with a local hospital in Tiruchengode, India, to distribute donated eyeglasses and provide free vision screenings.

In July 2022, I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes partnered with Kathir Eye Hospital and Rotary Club Tiruchengode Red Rock to host a free eye check-up camp. Glasses collected in California were cleaned, sorted, and matched by volunteer optometrists to individuals in need. The drive helped improve the vision — and daily lives — of dozens of local residents.

🇲🇽

Merida, Mexico

July 2025

We partnered with the Merida Foundation to distribute donated eyeglasses and provide free vision screenings.

In July 2025, I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes partnered with the Merida Foundation to distribute donated eyeglasses and provide free vision screenings. Glasses collected in California were cleaned, sorted, and matched by volunteers to individuals in need. The drive helped improve the vision — and daily lives — of dozens of local residents.

🇿🇼

Zimbabwe

Summer 2026

Our biggest drive yet — we traveled to Zimbabwe to bring clear vision to communities that need it most.

Read one girl's story →
Read Farai's story →

Summer 2026 marked our most ambitious drive to date. We traveled to Zimbabwe, where access to eye care is severely limited in many rural areas, and put the glasses collected back home in Lamorinda directly into people's hands through vision screenings and distributions. Thanks to everyone who donated glasses, volunteered, and supported the fundraisers — together we reached hundreds of people. This trip wouldn't have been possible without you.

One Story

A Story That Needs Your Help

During our vision drive in Zimbabwe, a young girl came through our clinic hoping — like everyone else in line — that a pair of glasses would help her see. When our team examined her, it was clear something more serious was going on: a visible protrusion in her eye that no prescription could correct. We're calling her "Tendai" here to protect her privacy.

We referred Tendai to specialists, who confirmed that glasses alone can't fix her condition — she needs surgery. The good news is that a free eye surgery program is scheduled for October 2026, and there's a place in it for her. The surgery itself is free, but the program depends on community fundraising to cover patients' care and travel costs and to keep taking on cases like hers.

Tendai isn't the only one. Referrals like hers are why this work matters beyond the glasses we hand out — sometimes the most important thing we can do is notice something is wrong and connect a family to care that can actually help.

♥ Help Fund Her Surgery

Another Story

Four Years, Held Together by Wire

A pair of glasses repaired with a length of wire at the hinge

The man receiving his new glasses from our team

At one of our stations in Zimbabwe, we met an older man — we're calling him "Farai" here — who had been wearing the same pair of glasses for four years. Long before we met him, the frame had cracked at the hinge. There was no optician nearby he could reach, and no way to afford a replacement even if there were. So he did the only thing he could: he found a length of wire, bent it by hand, and wound it tightly around the broken joint to hold the two halves together.

It worked, in the sense that the glasses stayed on his face. But a wire hinge doesn't stay tight. It loosens. It slips. It has to be re-wound, again and again, and every readjustment left the lenses sitting a little more crooked than before. For four years, he saw the world through glasses that fit a little worse each day — not because he didn't care for them, but because there was simply nothing better within reach.

Farai's story isn't unusual here — it's exactly why this drive exists. For every person we fit with new glasses, there is likely another still making do with a broken pair, holding it together with whatever they can find, because access — not need — is the real barrier. When we handed Farai a working pair of glasses, wire-free, it wasn't a small thing. It was four years overdue.

♥ Help Us Reach the Next Person Like Farai

Community Event

Community Fundraiser

Local events where every purchase supports clearer vision for underserved communities.

Froyo for a Cause!

In partnership with Tangelo FroYo — Rheem Valley Shopping Center, Moraga, CA

Date

FridayMarch 27

Time

6:00 –9:00 PM

Donated

20%of Sales

Enjoy frozen yogurt at Tangelo FroYo and 20% of your purchase goes directly to providing eyeglasses to underserved communities. Every scoop helped fund our Zimbabwe vision drive!

We've collected 2,000+ pairs of glasses — and our biggest trip yet, to Zimbabwe, is complete. Thank you for helping us get there.

Get Involved

Froyo for a Cause fundraiser flyer — Friday March 27, 6-9 PM at Tangelo FroYo, Moraga. 20% of sales donated to I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes.

Fundraiser Results — March 27, 2026

$0

Raised at Event

+

$0

Private Match

Matched 1 : 1 by a private donor

Every dollar raised was matched in full — doubling our impact for the Zimbabwe vision drive.

$0

Total Raised

doubled by match

Photos from the Event

Past Event

Scoops for a Cause!

In partnership with Loards Ice Cream — 1480H Moraga Rd, Moraga, CA

Date

FridayMay 29

Time

1:00 –5:00 PM

Donated

20%of Sales

Grab a scoop at Loards Ice Cream and 20% of your purchase goes directly to providing eyeglasses to underserved communities. Every cone helped fund our Zimbabwe vision drive!

Thanks to everyone who came out for ice cream and helped us bring clearer vision to those who need it most.

Get Involved

Scoops for a Cause fundraiser flyer — Friday May 29, 1-5 PM at Loards Ice Cream, Moraga. 20% of sales donated to I Spy a Good Pair of Eyes.

Fundraiser Results — May 29, 2026

$0

Raised at Event

+

$0

Private Match

Matched 1 : 1 by a private donor

Every dollar raised was matched in full — doubling our impact for the Zimbabwe vision drive.

$0

Total Raised

doubled by match

Take Action

Get Involved

Whether you have a pair of glasses to give, time to volunteer, or a voice to share — you can help bring clear vision to someone who needs it.

Donate Glasses

Have a pair of glasses you no longer wear? Drop them off at any of our collection bins at the Lafayette, Moraga, or Orinda libraries. Prescription, reading, and sunglasses are all welcome.

Find a Drop-Off

Volunteer

Join our team! Help sort and clean glasses, assist at local events, or — if you're ready for the adventure of a lifetime — join us on an international vision drive.

Join the Team

Spread the Word

Share our story and tell your friends and family. The more people know about our mission, the more glasses we can collect and the more lives we can change.

Share Our Mission

Thanks to You, Zimbabwe Happened

Our biggest drive yet — Zimbabwe, Summer 2026 — is complete, thanks to everyone who donated. Your support funds every future drive, too. Every dollar gets us closer to serving hundreds more people who need clear vision.

♥ Donate on GoFundMe

By The Numbers

Our Impact

0

Glasses Collected

0

Countries

0

Lives Changed

0

Volunteers

Globally, 1 billion people need glasses but cannot access or afford them. For many, a simple pair of corrective lenses is all that stands between them and the ability to learn, earn a living, and participate fully in life.

Why Glasses?

Uncorrected vision is one of the largest unaddressed health issues in the world. A pair of glasses costing just a few dollars can double a person's productivity, keep a child in school, and prevent accidents. Yet for billions, they remain out of reach. That's why every pair you donate matters. — Source: World Health Organization

Our Journey

2022

Founded in Lamorinda, CA & first drive in Tiruchengode, India

2023–24

Collection bins placed at Lamorinda libraries

2025

Eyeglass drive in Merida, Mexico

2026

Zimbabwe vision drive

Reach Out

Get in Touch

Have questions, want to volunteer, or know a community that could benefit from a vision drive? We'd love to hear from you.

Let's Connect

We're a youth-led team based in Lamorinda, CA — serving communities worldwide. Whether you want to donate glasses, join our next drive, or partner with us, reach out and we'll get back to you.

Email (preferred) rmnitin12@gmail.com

Text / Call (310) 560-3081

Drop-off locations:

Lafayette Library • Moraga Library • Orinda Library