A pair of old glasses could mean the difference between a normal life and disability, according to an Oxford opticians.

As a result, customers at branches of Robert Stanley Opticians are being urged to hand over old spectacles to help change lives in developing countries.

The company, which has branches in Templars Square, Cowley, and London Road, Headington, has joined the Kodak Lens Second Sight Project to collect glasses for Vision Aid Overseas.

The charity recruits volunteer opticians and ophthalmologists to travel to places like India and Ethiopia, where they offer people simple eye tests and secondhand specs to improve their sight.

John Edwards, company director at Robert Stanley Opticians, said: "The people that Vision Aid Overseas visits will have never had an eye test or glasses before - something we just take for granted.

"Many are severely short- or long-sighted and it makes them disabled. They can't even do simple tasks like cooking, and are often cared for by family. Giving them secondhand glasses transforms their lives completely."

"We help a real range of people, from very small children who are short-sighted, to the elderly who have cataracts. We may not be able to operate to cure the problem, but the glasses can help improve their sight."

It is hoped that 20,000 old spectacles will be collected through the Second Sight Project. Each pair is cleaned and checked for prescription strength, before being sorted into groups so they can be given to people whose sight would benefit most from them.

Customers who hand over their old glasses are also encouraged to donate £1 or more, to help with the massive task of sorting and transporting.

Mr Edwards added: "The more glasses we collect, the more accurate we can get when we give them out at the other end.

"It's often too difficult to make lenses in the Third World, because the places we visit don't have power or a water supply, and we rely on battery power alone for the eye tests."

In the UK, an eye test is a straightforward procedure that most people have done on a regular basis throughout their lives.

But according to Vision Aid Overseas there are 200 million people in third world countries who simply need a pair of glasses to lead a normal life.

Vision Aid Overseas director Tym Marsh said: "This charity is transforming the lives of thousands of patients each year, but there are still many more to reach."

Anyone who would like to help by making a donation should take their old spectacles to a Robert Stanley Opticians branch.