I was myopic, or near-sighted since the age of 16. Anything beyond arm's length looked blurry. An optometrist said this was only a temporary condition. He was right. It only lasted 39 years.
Nobody, especially a teenager wants to wear glasses. This was my geeky-looking stage, too. My natural blonde hair had darkened to the color of dead leaves. And worse, my nose suddenly reached its full growth before the rest of my face caught up. In those days the only styles available were the ones with cat-eye frames. By process of elimination, I picked out a light-blue pair. I wore them home.
The first words out of my mother mouth were, "They don't look good on you."
I angrily told her I couldn't read the blackboard! I suppose she'd rather I continue to fail everything!
On my first Report Card in High School I got 5 D's! -- But I did get a C plus in English! (A future writer was born!) Truth be told, I was never a good student. My father used to joke that Dianne thinks the alphabet begins with a C.
I wore my glasses only when seated at my desk, or the teacher was speaking. I didn't need them for reading, writing , or other close work. Once, a few bespectacled students walked over and welcomed me to the 4-eyes club.
Wearing them on dates or other social occasions was never a problem for me, because I never had any. This was true until well into middle age.
Although in my 20's I was traveling to Europe and other exotic places almost every year. Thankfully the styles had changed by then! I had cooler-looking frames as well as prescription sunglasses. I considered contact lenses, but discarded the idea as soon as I learned I would require glasses for reading.
In my 40's, lasik surgery became popular, but the price was too prohibitive for me. Besides, the procedure was scary. Should a nurse pinch the doctors behind during surgery, I'd end up sporting a permanent eye patch!
As I neared 50, I got my driver's licence. Around that time, came miraculous soft contact lenses that let you see both near & far. Of course I bought a pair!
Frustratingly, it took me nearly an hour to put them in my eyes. They stuck to my fingers far better than my eyeballs. If I happened to get make-up or a stye under them, my eyes burned and watered like crazy!
More than once, as I drove in heavy traffic, a lens would roll up under my eyelid. In a panic, I would have to blink it down while navigating the car. Suffering from anxiety attacks, I was already a risk on the road! I decided to stick with glasses that had flattering frames.
Meantime, my close vision was starting to deteriorate. Reading and close work suddenly became fuzzy. I was forced to buy reading glasses, or cheaters as we old folks call them.
In 2004 came the 2 back-to-back hurricanes and weeks spent navigating in darkness. I don't know if there was a connection, but almost immediately afterward, I became FAR-SIGHTED!!! I could actually distinguish leaves on treetops in my neighbors yard! --This had been impossible for nearly 4 decades! It was like a MIRACLE!!! And best of all, I no longer required glasses for driving or watching TV.
The optometrist told me this wasn't at all unusual, she called it "Second Sight". (I always thought that meant you saw dead people!) She also said this condition was "temporary". But I'm hoping it will last until I'm a spook myself. Because being myopic was the next thing to being blind!
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