Chase Stokes surprises students with free glasses (Exclusive)

Charleston, South Carolina is where Chase Stokes calls home and where he is helping to develop the next generation.

The Outer Banks actor, 33, has been an advocate for mental health through his partnership with Zeni Optical, and this season of his life, he and the eyewear brand teamed up with the Charleston Promise Neighborhood to provide local high school students with eye exams, comprehensive vision exams, and personalized glasses fittings.

On January 7th, Stokes was on hand to personally present the teens with new frames sourced from his Zenni Optical x Chase Stokes collection.

Giving back to the community has been a cornerstone of Stokes’ life ever since she began volunteering at a shelter with her family every Christmas. And after a recent period in his adult life and career, he told PEOPLE he was ready to make a bigger impact. “The greatest thing you can do as a human being is to be selfless,” he says.

Accessible eyewear is a big part of this chapter of Stokes’ work with Zenni Optical. “When you go online and look at a lot of websites,[prescription glasses]can be very out of reach for a lot of people,” he said, explaining the impetus for the mission, adding, “…by (giving) kids a way to see the world through a different lens, we can give them courage and confidence.”

Stokes would know. “My family is all about glasses, so my mom was always very particular about glasses. I think I had my first vision test when I was 16, but I didn’t know that my eyesight was so impaired. When I realized that and put on glasses, I was happy to see what the rest of the world was seeing and feel a little better about myself.”

And now you can rock cool glasses that are made with fashion in mind. Since the collaboration with Zenni Optical began, there are now two unisex collections combining over 60 frame styles. Stokes wanted to be creatively involved. “I want to make sure that the frames we put out are frames that I would want to hang,” he says.

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His collection includes a combination of modern and retro styles created using Blokz blue light blocking lenses and EyeQLenz with Zenni ID Guard, an all-in-one lens that blocks blue light, blocks 100% of UVA/UVB rays, reflects near-infrared rays, and adapts to indoor and outdoor light.

“It was really, really fun to take the time and come up with a collection that felt really honest and authentic,” Stokes says.

After all, now that he’s in his 30s, he’s returning to his roots, and as part of that, he wears glasses that “look good on him,” rather than relying on trends. “I think style and personal growth come from finding your true self.”

Veronica Alcaro, Zenni Optical’s vice president of brand, said in a press release that the partnership allows us to “bring much-needed vision care to students who need it most,” adding that it is “a powerful combination of wellness, community, and celebration, an authentic and meaningful impact that drives everything we do at Zenni.”