A Real Eye Opener

Yesterday was my more or less yearly eye check up. I say more or less because I wait until I open the last pack of contact lenses before I make the appointment. I don't wear the contacts every day anymore because: a. I am lazy and b. I am lazy.

Schlepping around in glasses at home is far easier than putting contact lenses in my eyes.

Also going on at my house yesterday, was a fellow installing a new light fixture in our bathroom. The guy came at  8:30 a.m. so we all, including him, thought he'd be done well before time for me to get ready to leave for  my appointment.

Only he wasn't.

So I gathered stuff like toothbrush and washcloth and contact lenses (because I wanted them in for the eye testing) and got ready in our downstairs  half bath.

He finished in time for me to dress hurriedly and leave.

At the doctor's he put a whole chemistry lab full of drops in my eyes, including the dilating ones- you know- the ones that make you look like those little aliens with great big eyes.

After an exam and discussion of what to do, I picked out frames for new sun glasses for when I didn't have in my contact (notice I said contact), ordered more 'leftie' contact lenses, gave her my credit card (or was it library card?) I was so blind, I couldn't tell.

Daughter is starving and I fumble around but alas! I have no glasses. I remember they are on the little console in the half bath. Alone and forgotten.

I can't put my contact lens in, either. Too much laboratory stuff in my eye.

So Daughter and I head off to Honey Baked Ham for a sandwich. I am further blinded by sun glasses, which, of course, I must have. Because if I didn't have them on, one look into my eyes and  you'd see the back of my head.

No monkey, they were that dilated.

My vision was so poor I felt nauseated. I could barely see further than my hands in my lap. Beyond that was a very blurred world.

As time passed, this got more and more disturbing to me.

I thought about all the people of the world who don't have eye glasses and who see (or don't see) like I was experiencing,  only every day of their life instead of for a few hours.

It was awful. I have always feared going blind, and my fears are well founded.

So the moral of the story today is: Never, never take  your vision for granted. Take care of your eyes. Get yearly exams and do what the doctor says.

And stay away from sharp objects.

You could put your eye out.