Glasses again!

I wore eyeglasses for close to 30 years of my life-- from the time the optometrist diagnosed with astigmatism (in Grade 3) right up until I had Lasik surgery (at TLC) about 10 years ago. When i first got glasses I only used to wear them to school and would remove them when I got home and on weekends. During that period I came to associate my glasses with work and the absence of glasses with freedom and leisure. I recall feeling a wave of relief wash over me when I removed my glasses. When I was a kid, my parents used to take me to public optical to have my eyeglass prescription filled. Since I grew up in an immigrant family home where money was always tight, they used to insist that I chose my frames from the limited selection that came free with the lenses. that basically limited me to frames in the black horn rimmed variety! Sorta like the ones Harry Potter has made kewl now! But back when I was in grade school they were most decidedly uncool and only succeeded to make me the object of ridicule among classmates. They all assumed that I was a studious bookworn on account of my specs (which I was, but that hardly justifies their stereotyping and teasing). I also remember being very conflicted in gym glass--- should I wear my glasses (and risk breaking them) so I could actually see the ball or take them off and look even more haplessly two-left footed than I already was.

I never seriously considered replacing my specs with contact lenses because the idea of having something so small so close to my eyeball,freaked me out. In the early years you couldn't get soft plastic or gas permeable contacts to correct astigmatism; you needed to go with the hard glass. In my mid 30s I started to consider whether I should get laser eye surgery to correct my vision. eventually I overcame my reservations and with some trepidation eventually decided the benefits outweighed the risks. For the balance of the day and overnight following lasik surgery you are required to wear an eyemask. I can still recall the joy at removing the mask the morning after the surgery and being overjoyed to discover that I could see clearly and (perhaps even more impressively) my depth of vision was also greatly enhanced. It was like putting on 3-D glasses! I also remember the joy of having my vision re-tested at the MTO and having the "X" restriction removed from my drivers license. Being able to throw my eyeglasses away gave me a sense of liberation and an entirely new sense of self-identity.

I also recall my optometrist warning me when I had lasik that in a few years I might still need a pair of reading glasses as a result of old age. However, until very recently, I still found my "up close" vision fine for both distance and up close reading. Within the last year, however, I have started to experience problems reading (particularly in low light). Last week I went into the optometrist for a vision check-up and the optometrist confirmed that I will need reading glasses (or alternatively graduated bi-focal specs or contacts). I need to go back next week to have my prescription finalized. After that, I will have the prescription filled and then start wear glasses again, at least some of the time (mainly at work).

Tho I knew this day of reckoning would soon come and I am going to make sure I chose a very fashionable designer frame nothing like the cheap standard black horn rimmed variety selected for me to don in childhood, I can't help but feel some remorse and dread about the pending return of glasses upon my nose. I know I am not alone and that most people my age require vision correction for reading, but I can't help but feel disappointed at this change! It seems like a step back to the future. In any case, rest assured that I will not be changing my blog pic to show the new be-spectacled me!