I’ve known for a long time that this was coming. Even before objects in the distance started to look blurry, I took the fact that my father didn’t need glasses until his twenties as a sign that I, too, would lose my 20/20 eyesight one day.
I tried ignoring it for as long as possible. “Maybe it’s just the cold exerting some strange effect on my eyes,” I thought, and it’s true, the cold does somehow seem to make things worse.
Even six months ago the problem was barely noticeable and when I went in for an exam the doctor said it really wasn’t worth getting glasses. But now I have trouble reading the chalkboard when I’m seated fifteen feet away and I can’t decipher the titles on my DVDs from across the room, and in short: GOD DAMMIT MY VISION HAS GONE TO CRAP.
Since I was little all of my friends and most of my family have had moderately bad to awful eyesight, so I like to think I have always possessed an acute sense of how lucky I was to be able to see without anything to aid me. I know I’m still lucky that my problems can be corrected with the help of glasses or contacts instead of just being plain out of luck. In the grand scheme of things this is pretty minor, and I don’t expect or deserve any sympathy at all from people who’ve had to deal with poor eyesight since they were little.
But fuck it all. I am angry. Something I hoped to be able to take for granted is leaving me, and it’s probably just going to get worse as I get older and ugh. And now there’s something extra I have no choice but to spend money on, when I was hoping to save up my meager budget surplus for times in my future when it may not be as easy to stay flush. Blech. Blargh. Faugh.
Anyway…off I go to the optometrist to find out exactly how bad things have gotten.
I got my first glasses in 1st grade. And to this day I fume about that fucking teacher who didn’t believe me when I said I couldn’t read the board. Stupid ass-whore. It’s been thirty years and I still get pissed thinking about that cunt.
Now, I’ve been dealing with trying to correct my astigmatism with contact lenses. We’ve tried two different toric (sp?) lenses, and neither worked. I have a third waiting for me. God know when or if I’ll ever see clearly in my right eye again.
“I cried because I had no shoes, then I saw a man who had no feet.” Or something like that. I’m trying to muster up some sympathy for you (glasses for 21 years, not able to wear contacts); maybe I can squeeze out just a little - ugh. There ya go.
(Colour me glad to be able to wear glasses and get 20/20 - we would have all died in the caveman days, ya know.)
Revtim, it may be time to get over that. Or not. Your choice.
Jeepers, I could have written this post word-for-word, although I don’t think my last sentence would have been quite so negative. I have all the same problems you do, third prescription for the right eyeball.
Doc says 85 % of glasses -wearers are fixed by normal ocntact lenses. Out of the remaining 15 %, 85 % of them are fixed by toric lenses.
I belong to the remaining 15 %. So, 15 % of 15 %, whatever that is. I’m glad to see I’m special in something. :rolleyes:
But hey, I’m still just grateful that they finally have contacts for me and I won’t complain, ever. I am so darn glad to not have to wear my contact lenses.
Sorry but absolutely everyone aught to be grateful for the amount of vision they have, period. eyes wear out. If your condition is correctable (and w/just glasses for fucks sake) you’re one of the lucky ones. You know this.
Signed -
glasses for 40 years, bifocals for 12, fucking $200 worth of eye drops every month (up to 7 drops per day each eye), about to schedule surgery (will still need eye drops, glasses and bifocals), still fucking grateful for the vision I have, since it might not be there in years to come.
Yeah, I kinda figured the OP wouldn’t find all that much sympathy here. (I wouldn’t be surprised if over half the Dopers wear corrective lenses of some sort). As someone who’s worn glasses since sixth grade and can’t even read in bad anymore without them (evidently, my focal point is around 3 inches), I had to firmly resist the urge to go:
wasn’t intending patronizing the OP, but in all sincerity, fuck off. If you’ve got a condition that’s fucking correctable merely by wearing corrective lenses, please be fucking grateful for that, instead of bemoaning needing the glasses, especially in a public venue where you will more than likely be pissing about needing glasses to folks who would be elated to ‘simply’ need glasses.
My eye conditions won’t ever get better, may indeed get much much worse. And I’m grateful as hell that at least right now I can still see (sorta) a computer screen, still see (sorta) to drive, that at least my conditions at this time are treatable. (with lots of money, quarterly visits to specialist, rigorous testing etc.)
You’re right, we do take our vision for granted. Consider this, however: vision correction is practically a precise science. It’s easy enough to diagnose and treat and affordable to just about anyone. I’ve had to wear glasses for 36 of my 46 years on this planet. Within the past two years I’ve needed bi-focals. Yes, it’s inconvenient, but over all things could be a lot worse. Be happy the rest of your body is doing well!*
(I assume it’s doing well, it’s always go to have a checkup now and then to try and catch something before it goes bad).
I am terribly sorry about your condition. Believe me. And I’m pretty sure I stated in my OP that I know I’m getting off fairly easy and am lucky to be able to correct my vision with glasses alone:
I’m sorry if I was unclear. I know that other people have much bigger problems than I do. As I also stated, I didn’t really post here with the feeling that I deserved or was going to get sympathy (though I appreciate what I got, of course)–all of my friends have been wearing glasses since they were little, and have basically been laughing their asses off at me and my discomfiture. That’s okay, and I can laugh along with them and you guys. I just needed to vent a bit, because let’s face it: no matter how minor it is, it’s annoying. At this point, I’m over it and am looking forward to letting people see my new frames.
I wore glasses from about the fifth grade, around 1968, until I had my eyes lasered in 2001. In between, I wore contacts for about 12 years, roughly between the ages of 16 to 30. I had to give up the contacts because my eyes couldn’t tolerate them any longer. My lenses would suddenly decide to ride up under my eyelids. The expense of fluids was a nuisance too. I’d be in the grocery store, heading to the checkout stand with my purchases, and suddenly remember that I needed to stock up on fluids, and bang went another $20 or $30 on top of my bill.
At your age you probably wouldn’t be a good candidate for laser surgery, so you’re almost certainly going to have to look at some kind of corrective lenses. Remembering my experiences, if I had to go through it again I’d forget about contacts entirely and just find some decent looking glasses. They are out there, and even if you need strong lenses the newer plastics make it possible to have that without looking like the bottom of a Coke bottle.
Yeah, at first I was going to go with contacts because I have never been able to find sunglasses that were anything less than comical on me and assumed the same would apply to regular glasses (it doesn’t), but after I looked at the price of contacts and the associated costs and aggravation, I just went with glasses.
By the time I was in the thrid grade, I was tested at 20/100 in my left eye and 20/80 in my right eye. At least there’s a variety of stuff available in my prescription; right now I’m wearing green contacts by Johnson & Johnson.
You know, contacts really aren’t that bad. There are more varieties of soft ones available (the hard ones were horrible) and they’re much cheaper than they were. I get a six pack of lenses for something like $100. Supposedly, I’m supposed to use a new pair every month but my optometrist admitted these are the exact same lenses that were supposed to be worn for two years repackaged. So I just get a new set when my eyes bother me which is maybe three of four months. And I probably spend $7 on solution every month or so.
Anyway, most of my friends don’t even know I need glasses and I find contacts a lot better for sports. They cause me so little problem that I really can’t justify shelling out for surgery.
Heh, I just went to the eye doctor today.
Now, I’ve worn glasses since about Third or Fourth Grade, and got contacts when I was about 18 or 19, so I’m used to the whole bit. I switch back and forth between the two.
But what did I find out today?
I need freaking bifocals.
