If you’ve made it through to adulthood without needing to wear glasses, you could be forgiven for assuming that your vision is perfect. But just like hearing loss, issues with our vision can sneak up on us over time.
If it’s been years since you last had an eye exam, you may be surprised to learn just how much your vision has changed (especially if your job and leisure activities involve spending a lot of time looking at a screen). As such, when you’re told as an adult you need glasses, it may come as a shock. You may worry about the changes that glasses will make to your appearance or be struck with paranoia that you’ll lose your spanking new bifocals within a week.
Image by Nico Giordano via Pixabay
We human beings are preprogrammed to rail against change. Even when that change is good for us. But there’s nothing to fear from life with glasses. If your last eye exam didn’t go the way you hoped, release yourself from fear and anxiety and join us as we guide you through making the most of your life with glasses…
Take the time to find the perfect frames
It’s all-too easy to catastrophize and assume that glasses will completely change your appearance or render you unrecognizable to your partner, friends and family. But, as difficult as it may seem, try to embrace the change. The perfect pair of glasses is out there, waiting for you.
There are all kinds of frames from all kinds of designers. Just take a look at these Calvin Klein glasses. Don’t assume that glasses will mask or obfuscate the beauty that God gave you. If anything, the right glasses will accentuate all that’s beautiful about your face.
Don’t panic if your vision is blurry or distorted at first
It’s extremely common for your vision to be a little blurry or distorted when you try on your new glasses for the first time. If you’re expecting to see with total clarity instantaneously you may find yourself disappointed. Your eyes and your brain may need a couple of days to get used to the lenses and reconfigure themselves accordingly. While it can certainly be disheartening when your new lenses seem to actually make your vision worse, please persevere. Your future self will thank you for it!
I remember my first pair of glasses. I got them in fourth grade. Why is the memory so vivid? When I stepped outside, my first comment was, “Trees have leaves! And grass has blades!”
I had no idea what I was missing – until glasses helped me see. Kinda like Holy Spirit gives us eyes to see, our eye doctor gives us glasses to see through the eyes God has given us.
Ears to hear and eyes to see–both are gifts from the LORD.
Proverbs 20:12 (NLT)
The same goes for headaches. They might actually mean your new glasses are working
Your eyes need to do quite a lot of work to adjust to your new glasses, meaning you may experience headaches for the first few days. Try not to be alarmed. This is actually another indicator that your lenses are working. If, however, headaches remain for more than a few days, you might need to go to get the prescription checked. I actually had a pair that had to be remade – it happens from time to time!
Make a list of positive changes that you notice
It may be a while until you’re completely happy with your new glasses. You may benefit from keeping a diary of positive changes you notice as you wear them more and grow more accustomed to them. You may notice a new detail in a movie you’ve seen before. Or spot a few subtle nuances in a familiar face. They may emerge gradually, yet the little details you’ve been missing will present themselves eventually.
Like leaves and blades…they show up!