My Old Eyes

My eyes have been bothering me for years. But in order to get an accurate assessment of your vision a woman must be a) not pregnant and b) not breast feeding. Apparently your eyes change during those events. With that in mind it has been 9 years since I had my vision checked.

I noticed at night that things were a little blurry. Not everything, it was just difficult to read signs.  And when I spent too long on the computer (shame) my eyes would hurt.

I figured now was the time to get them checked because reasons a and b were no longer an issue.

She suggested that at the computer, or reading on the iPad, I stop every so often and stretch my eyes by looking at something in the distance to help the muscles relax. Apparently close-up work causes the lens to tense. It's the tensing that produces headaches.

How disappointing to take all that time and spend the money (a whole $35 co-pay + babysitting) to discover that my eyes are just fine. In a way I was hoping she would find something. Anything. She gave me the warning that in a few years (40) I could expect my eyes to under go some changes - but for now I can get away without wearing glasses. But if I wanted them I could and she gave me a teeny tiny prescription.

I walked over to the case of glasses and couldn't see a thing, they had just dilated my eyes. How am I supposed to pick out frames when my vision is blurry? So I left without glasses, and drove myself home. When I made the appointment I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to see clearly when I left. You forget a lot of things when you haven't been to the eye doctors in 9 years.

Luckily the office was in our neighborhood so I didn't have to get on a major street. I wore my sunglasses, the cheap ones I picked up at Ross, and carefully made my way home. Looking a little strange, but no worse for the wear, I made it home.

The point of that whole story is that as I have been making comments on other blogs that have word verification on and I feel like an old blind woman. My eyes are no longer dilated, that appointment happened weeks ago. Please tell me those little numbers and letters are blurry for everyone.

Today it took me 3 attempts to get the characters right. I am feeling old and having second thoughts about those glasses. But I am slightly near-sighted so they won't help much on the computer.

Maybe I should take a vision break and just sleep. Or listen to books on tape. Or put the iPad down. Or go outside. So many options.

Have a great weekend!