I started wearing glasses when I was in fifth grade. Growing up, I always figured I would eventually need them considering both of my parents wear glasses. I guess I just didn’t realize how much of an inconvenience having bad vision would become.
This past week, I went in for an eye exam so I could order another pack of contacts. I wasn’t expecting much from the appointment, but when my doctor told me that my prescription had increased quite a bit since last year, it honestly put things into perspective. My vision is getting worse, and there’s a pretty good chance it will continue to decline as time goes on.
It made me realize how much I hate the fact that I can’t just wake up and see.
Every morning, one of the first things I have to do is to put something on my eyes just to be able to see clearly. Without my contacts, everything is basically a blur. I know there are much bigger problems in the world, but sometimes I can’t help but think about how convenient it would be to simply open my eyes in the morning and see everything clearly.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking: “Just wear glasses.”
I’ve tried. I started out wearing glasses and I wore them for about three years, so I know exactly what it’s like. And honestly, I just never loved them.
Glasses are uncomfortable, they’re heavy, and I feel like they hide my face. Depending on your prescription, they can even make your eyes look bigger or smaller than they actually are. You can’t comfortably lay down without them getting in the way, they constantly get smudged, and somehow, they always end up sliding down your nose every five seconds.
As time went on, I knew I was ready for something different. So, when I got the option to switch to contacts, I jumped at it.
And contacts are a whole other pain in the neck.
Once you finally learn how to insert a tiny piece of plastic directly onto your eyeball without blinking 700 times, everything seems great. Then you wear them for eight hours and suddenly your eyes feel like they have a headache.
They get dry, so you start aggressively blinking in an attempt to make them feel normal again. You get tired, and suddenly having something sitting on your eyeball feels unbearable. You rub your eye and accidentally knock a contact out. You drop one while putting it in. You lose one. You rip one. You forget to bring a spare pair with you.
And swimming with contacts? Forget it.
There is nothing quite like accidentally losing a contact in a pool and suddenly spending the rest of the day trying to function with one perfectly clear eye and one completely useless one.
Even little things become annoying when you have bad vision. Going to bed means taking your contacts out. Getting up means putting them back in. Traveling means remembering to pack glasses, contacts, solution, and a case. Staying somewhere overnight means making sure you brought everything you need just to be able to see the next morning.
None of these things are the end of the world. I know that. I am incredibly lucky that glasses and contacts exist in the first place and that I have access to them. But when you’ve never experienced what it’s like to have perfect vision, it’s easy to forget just how convenient it must be.