Gwnewch y pethau bychain

I can see clearly now…

I’ve known for quite some time that I really need to go and get an eye exam. For one thing, the last time I had one was eight years ago, and that’s far too long for someone who actually wears corrective lenses. For another thing, i was finding that I couldn’t read the small text on the TiVo screen from the couch, which is only 6-8 feet away. So when one of the nose pads fell off my glasses Friday morning, I took that as a sign from the universe to stop procrastinating, and made a call down to the LensCrafters at North Point Mall, since that’s where I get a discount through my insurance.

They said they could see me pretty much anytime, and I made an appointment for 6pm, so I could go down after work and not need to try and rush it all on my lunch hour. Showed up and filled out the paperwork, and then was shown back into a room for some baseline tests, including the dreaded puff-of-air-in-the-eye glaucoma test, which I’ve detested since I was a child.

The optometrist turned out to be a very pleasant woman who checked the prescription on my old lenses, and then went through the whole “Is this one better, or this one” routine to determine what the new prescription should be. Once that was complete, I went for another test with an amazing new piece of technology they’ve gotten in since the last time I was in, a machine which took photographs of the inside of the eye! It was really cool, even if it took a while to get good shots. (I wasn’t complaining — the tech running the test was super-cute. *grin*). The amazingly cool thing about this machine is a) it means they don’t have to dilate the pupils in order to see all the things in the back of the eye they want to see, and b) they can save the images to use as a baseline for comparison from year to year, making it much easier to notice deterioration or damage. I thought this was exceptionally nifty and well worth the extra $30 or so it added to the bill. Once the images were taken, I went back in with the optometrist who explained the images to me, and said that everything looks very healthy.

Once I had a new prescription in hand, I wandered next door to the LensCrafters to pick out some new frames. I dithered a while over these or those before finally settling on a pair that I like. (I notice that big chunky frames are back in fashion again, but somehow they’re just not my style at all). I was told they could actually have them ready for me in an hour to 90 minutes, so I called kitanzi to meet me for dinner, rather than have to go home and come back. We were somewhat bemused to discover, once she’d arrived, that nearly all of the non-Food Court restaurants have closed in North Point Mall. Mick’s is gone, Atlanta Bread Company is gone…it was sad. We ended up at the little Japanese grill in the food court, for lack of better options. We then wandered down the mall, stopping briefly in the Mac Store because I like lusting after the laptops and the ipods. We finally made our way back to LensCrafters, where my glasses were waiting for me.

Wow. I actually did a double-take when I put them on. I knew that my old lenses were no longer correct, but I hadn’t realized how badly and how much I was just compensating for. I walked all the way through the mall back to my car just marveling at how much better the world looks when its in focus. (Note to self: Once a year. Stop being so lazy and get these things done.)

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17 Comments

  1. Oh, I hate hate hate that glaucoma test thing.

    I should probably get tested again. I can’t actually remember how long it’s been. It was in California, I know that. I think Maggie was a small baby. Or maybe I was pregnant. Well, 3 to 4 years, say. I’m starting to have to go up print sizes on the computer, but I figure it’s just that I’m getting old.

  2. I know exactly what you mean!

  3. It must be the time for that. I have an appt tomorrow for an eye exam. Next, it’ll be ‘s turn. Shhh….. 😉

  4. Good on you for looking after yourself. I recall how amazing it is regaining good sight after losing touch with it. I hope you enjoy the next couple of days looking at things 🙂

  5. I have a reliable reason to go in every couple of years now -- small children ripping the glasses off your face every so often is rather rough on the glasses!

  6. I do really badly with the Glaucoma test myself though this last time they were really good and got it -- usually they get angry with me cuz I can’t keep my eyes open :).

    I got the picture of my eye taken too! It was pretty cool though a whole lot plainer looking than I expected (I am so ignorant of how stuff really looks). They still needed to give me drops though and dilate my eyes.

    I really love the description of how everything looked clearer and different with the glasses -- I hear a song there… ;).

  7. Enjoy looking at the world!

  8. Hooray for clarity of vision. Here’s hoping that a positive experience will motivate you to keep up the habit of regular vision checkups!

  9. The glaucoma test isn’t so bad. But I hate the eye dilation exam; I had one last year after reading about ‘s close call. If they can do that exam without the dilation drops now, I’m cheering the advance of medical science once again.

  10. So when one of the nose pads fell off my glasses Friday morning, I took that as a sign from the universe to stop procrastinating,

    Hee! This exactly the kind of thing that forces me to make an appointment too. Last time, I had the both arms (of my glasses!) taped on.

    Yay for being able to see!

  11. Huzzah for taking care of it!

    Pics of the new specs?

  12. My bf felt the same way once he got glasses a couple years ago, commenting along the lines of “Wow, I didn’t realize how bad my eyesight really was.”

    I’ll probably need glasses eventually, but I’l be one of those people who can buy their glasses off a rack at Wal-Mart…

  13. What is it with the Atlanta Bread Co.? They closed down the local store near me as well, about 1-2 years after it opened. Is the chain in trouble? Or can they not compete with Panera?

    And yes, I should get my eyes checked again soon. Thanks for the reminder.

  14. Did you get that new-glasses thing where the floor slants upward 10-15 degrees?

    Yay for clear vision!

  15. One of my clearest memories is from the very first time I got glasses. I remember looking out the window at the optometrist’s office and being just dumbstruck at the concept of leaves. As in, the tree I was looking at had *Leaves*, and each one was distinct, and had its own shape and color. For years, trees had been these blobs of green, like in a coloring book. Trees are still my litmus test for each new pair of glasses I get. Followed shortly by whether I can read the street signs on my drive back home 🙂 -H…

  16. Be glad for the puff of air -- my eyes are bad enough I see a retina specialist. Their machine is the real deal -- it actually pushes on the (numbed) eye to get a pressure reading. Ick!

    My eyes change too fast to wait even an entire year -- and between eye pain and frustration at not being able to see, I can’t procrastinate. When your eyeballs feel like they’re rolling in ground glass, you get highly motivated!

    BJ
    Columbus, OH

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