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Charity co-ordinator Rachel Bond, 53, said experiencing the situation firsthand had transformed her way of thinking.

“It made me see what an amazing institution the NHS is . . . the people there cannot afford health care,” she explained. “When my eyesight started to deteriorate, it wasn’t a big deal. I got glasses for reading and now have regular check-ups, changing my lens prescription when required.

“But in Sarenga it can affect people’s livelihoods. Close-up work such as sewing, reading and leather work can no longer be done as they don’t have the glasses they need to correct their eyesight.”

The Khristiya Seva Niketan hospital, which has links with the Dunstable church (check), is run on donations so that patients pay little or nothing for their care. It also has a mobile clinic that visits outlying villages treating various eye conditions and giving out glasses.

Rachel said: “The glasses collection is part of the important eye care service the hospital provides.”

> If you have an old pair you no longer need, drop them and their cases to Derek H Redfern, 3 High Street, Leighton Buzzard.

More information about the hospital at www.facebook.com/KSNHospitalSarenga/?fref+ts