The Eyes Have It
Mom told me years ago that the eyes start to weaken at age 40, and I would probably find I needed glasses then. I chuckled inwardly. I’d always had excellent vision, and even wrote in a neat, tiny print when I made notes in books.
But six months after my fortieth birthday, one of the kids brought me a can of something and asked if everything in there was “good for you.” I squinted, moved the can up closer, moved it further out, got into a brighter light, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t read the small print on the can. Thus began the saga of the reading glasses.
I started with the weakest of reading glasses, gradually working my way up to the 1.75 strength I’m using now at 53. At first I wore them just to read, but I was reading all the time, and couldn’t always remember where the glasses were. So I bought a cord to attach to them and keep them around my neck. Problem solved, always there when I needed ’em. Only now I need ’em all the time and not just for reading, so the cord is gone and the glasses are pretty much a permanent part of me.
Finding frames I like (that look good on me) is a challenge. I never liked even wearing sunglasses, so how would I know what frames look good one me? I tried the half-size glasses with the pretty colored frames, and the granny style with the gold or silver ones, and have a few in various colors just for fun. But I don’t LIKE any of ’em.
Does anyone still make reading glasses with real glass in them? This acrylic stuff doesn’t really feel clear to me, and it scratches way too easily. I know glass is heavier but the lenses sure felt cleaner to see through! And apparently the guys who started Microsoft are about my age, because they keep designing their packaging with their glasses on. It’s Micro-soft, does it have to be Micro-scopic when it comes to print and those blasted product keys? Those things keep getting smaller.