The Eyes Have It

A few weeks ago, I posted about my new Kindle and how my purchase of the very device I had once cursed was spurred partly by my diminishing vision. After complaining about it (and feeling like my ability to read was getting worse and worse), I finally broke down and went to the eye doctor last week. The diagnosis was not a shocker -- I needed bifocals.

I thought that the diagnosis would leave me feeling old and depressed. I've honestly been handling this whole "about to turn 40" thing with a little more joy than I thought I would. I mean, I know that the next decade may very well feature some things that may wrack me with unhappiness (I honestly don't know how I'm going to take menopause), but actually turning 40 has not been that big of a deal. (See me in two months and we'll see if I'm still singing that song.) After all, 40 has become kind of chic and cool. Look at all the cool people in their 40's -- the Red Hot Chili Peppers AND the Beastie Boys, for example, are all in their 40's and they are still, to me, the epitome of cool.

Back to my eyes ... I took the news pretty well. I give a lot of credit to my eye doctor, a very cute, spunky young woman (Seriously, I doubt she's 30) who was full of energy and kindness. She perkily explained to me that this is really no big deal, that the lens of the eye just gets less flexible over time, and that I'm sort of hitting that point right on schedule. It also probably helped that as we did the eye exam and I saw what my reading vision could be with bifocals I nearly cried at how suddenly clear and in focus the tiny words were. I wanted THAT vision back. Add to it that the exam also showed that, outside of the whole vision thing, my eyes themselves are actually super healthy (no signs of impending glaucoma or cataracts or anything like that), and I left the doctor feeling pretty okay with the whole thing.

I picked up my new glasses yesterday. The bifocal thing is going to take some getting used to, but just the fact that I was able to look at Facebook on my cell phone and not have to slide my glasses down to the tip of my nose to read over them was an epic moment. I'd really not realized how challenging my vision had become until that moment when my cell phone was suddenly so very clear to read. I read in bed last night without having to take my glasses off or switch to a pair of reading glasses I'd bought for a dollar at Target. I was able to read the very tiny print of a recipe this morning. It's a whole new world, friends! The Red Hot Chili Pepper and Beastie Boys may be making 40 a cool decade, but my goal is to make bifocals the cool new accessory for fall. Heck to the yeah, suckas!!