Everyday Aging – Finding Simplicity in Today

43. This is how old I am. This is the age I had to get eyeglasses.

I am in denial still. I refuse to wear them much. I've never had to wear glasses before. Other people wear glasses, not me.

My fear is that if I wear them too much, my eyes will become dependent on them and make my eyesight even worse.

I've had blurred vision and headaches for years, but I just attributed it to the fact that I work on a computer all day.

I finally decided to have my eyes tested this month. I told the doctor I was having a bit of trouble seeing text far away. The eye doc told me that when you hit your 40s, your eyes start losing focus.

I couldn't believe all of the extra tests I had to do, ones that I didn't recall taking when I was a child. I asked about it and was told the extra tests are given when a person hits their 40s.

Man, it seems like everything kicks in, or goes downhill once you hit your 40s. If you are a woman, you have to start getting mammograms. If you are a man, you have to start getting tests on your prostate. It's also the age where it's considered to be a bit more dangerous to have a baby, or at least that's what I've heard, not that having a baby is on my agenda.

To make matters worse, the doctor seemed to want me to get bifocal contacts! Whoa! I am not quite ready for that yet. I'm taking baby steps toward the fact that I am aging and my eyesight is getting worse.

Anyway, I stopped to pick up my new purple (yes, if I have to wear glasses, at least they are going to be fashionable), glasses last night at Walmart. I put them on and looked at a sign. I could not believe the difference! The sign was crystal clear.

I walked around Walmart for the next 10 minutes in a surreal state of mind, reading all kinds of signs 30-plus feet away. I took my glasses off and tested the difference. The words were even more blurry than before! Uh-oh! My eyes are already dependent on my glasses after 10 minutes! I called my mom to tell her the news. It was that big of a deal to me.

The main reason I wanted glasses is so I could read text on my TV screen, but as I was driving home last night wearing my new glasses, I noticed that street signs were much more clear. It might not be a bad idea to wear them while driving too.

I am not wearing my glasses as I type this blog in, but I guess I just may have to in the near future. At least I can still hear distant sounds here in the newsroom .... for now.

 

Note: This is a guest blog for Everyday Aging.