Four Eyes

I was five years of age when I had my first pair of glasses fitted to my face. They felt strange, an extra weight on my face that formed a plastic mask over my eyes. Now, decades later, I am going without glasses – and that, too, feels strange.

The first thing I do in the morning is reach for my glasses; the last thing I do each night is put my glasses on the bedside table. Other than that, I never think about wearing glasses because that is my normal. Since the surgery this past week, I’ve been not wearing glasses unless I have to read something, and it feels weird to be a two-eyed person, rather than a four-eyes. I miss the feel of the glasses on my face and feel strangely naked, exposed, and vulnerable.

In two weeks, the surgery will be performed on my left eye; after that, I may need glasses to read, but will be glasses free for the majority of my daily life. I already am getting a taste of how strange that feels, but I hope that this between time will make the transition smoother than if I just went glasses free all at once.

The surgery is to remove cataracts, with the side benefit the correction of acute astigmatism. Part of me wishes I could have had the astigmatism corrected surgically when I was a child as I’ve always resented that I had to wear glasses all the time, while other people never had to wear them.

I wonder if/when the lens replacement surgery can be done on children so they, too, can take the 24/7/365 frames off their faces. My doctor says that my vision will be exceptionally clear (no cataracts) and also more precise once my eyes adjust to the lens replacement. Isn't that a wonderful gift to give to a child who has his/her life ahead?