I just had a routine eye exam. Apparently I can have these each year. This was my first real one. I’ve never had glasses. Now I have to decide if I want them.
I’ve noticed that my left eye is just fine, but my right eye is blurry. It’s not enough to be bothersome or to make it so I can’t read. I don’t think I’m of the age where I have to worry about really small print just yet. My left eye can read it just fine. But like I said, it’s that right eye…
They had me read the letters on the chart like usual. He did the tests for glaucoma and dilated my eyes. I’ve had them dilated before, so I did remember my sunglasses. While I waited for the drops to take affect, I sat with my book and saw the words getting blurrier and blurrier. So much for reading while I waited.
When all was said and done, I have a choice about getting glasses. My right eye needs a +1.00 and my left needs a -0.25 lens. Apparently it’s not enough to really make a huge difference in day to day things. I wouldn’t have to wear them during normal activities. I wouldn’t really have to wear them while reading either. It just makes it easier if I do.
So off I went with my prescription in hand – that I couldn’t read. I got out to my car and was going to call my friend, Kathy, on my cell phone. Problem. I can’t read anything in my cell phone. Luckily, there were two ladies walking out to their cars. One was parked close to me, so I asked her if she could scroll through my phone book to find Kathy’s number.
I met Kathy at a local restaurant. Driving with blurry vision is a bit of a trick. I wasn’t really able to tell the difference between a person and a road sign until I was practically on top of them. I made it just fine. But it does make me realize how much I take for granted my good vision. Once at the restaurant I couldn’t read the menu. I couldn’t even look through the books about our Greece trip while I waited for her. Sit and stare. That’s about all I was good for. It took about an hour and a half for my vision to get back to semi-normal.
Before I went into the restaurant I took a picture of myself. I couldn’t focus to see my dilated eyes. So I figured if I took a photo, I could see just how dilated they were. I always think it looks funny too. I’ve got blue eyes, and from a distance they look brown since you can hardly see the blue. It has been three hours since the exam. At least now, I can focus again.
June 11, 2008 at 9:14 am
My eyes have improved over the years, and I actually have better vision now, at 55, than I had at 20. I could get by without glasses, but I really like them because my eyes don’t get so tired at school. I have bifocals which help with all the papers I grade and with computer work. I rarely wear glasses at home, but I do have prescription sunglasses for driving.
The last time I got glasses, I decided to go with a more artistic look. That’s why I have the purply red frames. My students love the look.
June 11, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I just went and tried on a bunch of frames. The only thing I know I really want is to have red frames. The more square ones look better. But I’m not into all of the bling on the sides… We’ll see…
June 11, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Oooh, red, I like red. I’m due for new frames next year, and I can hardly wait to see what new styles they have.
August 10, 2008 at 7:41 am
I’m happy to hear that you had your yearly eye examination. The +1.00 prescription in your right eye will do the focusing for you – so your eye does not have to strain and get tired. When you are around 38-42 – this will be a problem for the right eye without the glasses – your right eye will be blurry without the glasses because the eye will not have the ability to focus and overcome the +1.00 prescription that you need. If you are younger than 38ish – then that right eye can see – it just takes effort on your part – which can cause tiredness and eyestrain after a while.
Its important to have an exam every year because most eye problems do not cause symptoms until it is too late. An eye exam can also pick up systemic problems – like diabetes, hypertension, brain tumors, MS etc.
You should post pic with you and your red frames!