Eyeglass finder

Using laser etch technology that carves designs within solid blocks of acrylic, glass (or even diamonds these days) create a unique serial number in the edge of prescription eyeglass lenses. Any pharmacy or optician could read this number with a low-power 'scope. The number would be entered into an internet website search page.

Then, from the website, a postage-paid mailing label would be printed either to the owner, or a central re-shipping point if privacy issues are raised, to allow the return of the lost eyeglasses.

Owners of the glasses would be charged a modest additional fee to enroll in the Eyeglass finder service, and have their own access to the website to update their return address. The users could also delete their own pair of specs from the database when they are discarded or donated to a charity for re-use.

There is a store in Scottsboro Alabama that gets a lot of the airline lost luggage items - even in these post 9-11 days. At times they have had loads of eyeglasses, and even prosthetic legs! These items are there because they are untraceable.

So, this idea could be extended to other medical/ personal items i.e. hearing aids, prostheses, that are expensive but custom fitted, thus having little general resale value. It would be more likely that they would be returned if there was a "universal" way to do it.