I haven’t really ever mentioned it, but I have terrible eyesight. If I wasn’t wearing my glasses or my contacts, I could barely navigate a room. Basically if Its more than 8 inches from my face, I wouldn’t be able to really see it. Everything gets blurry, and I’m left to rely on colors and shapes.
Although I’m just used to this life at this point, I didn’t always need glasses. It wasn’t until I was around 10 years old did I realize my vision was bad. To be honest, I’m not sure I even remember exactly how it came up. I do know, that for the most part, I sat in the backs of classrooms. No reason why honestly, just seemed to happen.
I knew my mother wore glasses, and all my grandparents did, so I figured I would need them one day. However, I never paid any real attention to it. I feel my vision must have gotten bad fairly quickly. I had just moved to Pennsylvania. Perhaps I was spending more time in front of a TV than going out and playing with friends. All I really remember was I could see, but then things were blurry.
Again, I don’t remember how it came up, but one way or another I found myself at the eye doctor. I went through the test, and picked out frames. I unfortunately picked out ones that in the coming years, would get me referred to as Harry Potter.
I was very tired in this picture, so you’ll have to excuse me. I believe this was 5th grade, but its close enough.
Anyway, when I put the glasses on for the first time, and I was in shock. I didn’t realize how much detail I had forgotten was there. One of the first things I said leaving the places was, “wow, that tree has leaves.” Now, I hadn’t forgotten that trees have leaves, its basic knowledge. I had forgotten that they were there. That they could be seen so easily. All those little details came back to me, it was extremely satisfying.
My parents still laugh a little when we retell that tale. None of us realized just how much I wasn’t seeing. You take those details for granted.
I wore glasses until I was 13, then I switched to contacts. Thats where I’ve been ever since. 16 years of wearing contacts. I admit, it blows me away that people can just wake up and see. I wish so badly to get lasik or something along those lines, because I think it would be the same story, but with a different technology allowing for it. I don’t like always touching my eyes, or if a contact gets upset. Dry eyes get to me some days. As a welder it would be nice to not have to worry about seeing. If one contact were to fall out, and I only had one left, I’d probably need a ride home.
I do have a set of glasses. However, since my prescription is so high, the world curves based on where I’m looking through. This makes it hard to switch from contacts to glasses in the same day. Headaches are pretty common. Plus I’m so used to contacts that when I wear my glasses I feel like I’m blinking like crazy.
Maybe one day.
EK Creates 