I got brand new eyeglasses the other day. I have gone without a new prescription that was valid since my retinal detachment surgery over a year ago. It was a bit strange how that worked out. Last year, I saw the eye doctor who gave me a new prescription, but who also diagnosed the retinal tear. That led to the surgery, which made that prescription invalid. I waited a year to let things settle down before getting a new prescription. Before that, it had been about seven years since I’d been to the eye clinic.
Prior to all of that, I’d been having trouble with near and far vision. I have been getting progressive corrective lenses for years. I had been noticing that it was very difficult to read comfortably. I couldn’t read a book for more than brief periods. I had to stop frequently to rest my eyes.
The problem was compounded by poorly fitting glasses. They always slid down my nose, which led to my seeking adjustments. The solution always seemed to be adjusting the bows. That would work for a while, but the problem always recurred. After a while the bows ended up so unequal, my glasses sat crookedly on my ears. I actually ended up with a pressure sore on one ear, which I think finally developed into acanthoma fissuratum. That’s a fancy name for a pressure sore from poorly fitting eyeglasses.
I now have two brand new pairs of glasses, one of which is a pair of sunglasses. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever had prescription sunglasses. When I went to pick them up, they both fit perfectly without any adjustment. The technician gave me a clam shell hard case for the sunglasses and a soft bag for the other pair. She said the company was just trying to go green by cutting down on making the hard cases.
She told me she’d be happy to get me another clam shell hard case, but I declined. I told her I thought they were dangerous. They are too much like spring-loaded animal traps. I made a short comedy YouTube (“Steel Trap Eyeglasses Case by Jim Amos”) demonstrating that, if you’re interested. It’s not the best video because it reveals too much old-guy nose hair.
Now that I have new eyeglasses, I am looking forward to possibly re-reading one of my favorite books, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 