Seeing the world through a whole new set of eyes

It’s nice to be able to see the world through a new set of eyes every once in a while. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past several weeks. But I have a new grudge against my mother.

It’s a long story that starts when I was in grade school, and my older sister, Aimee, got glasses. I can’t remember what prompted the trip to the optometrist, but I remember that both of us got our eyes checked; my eyes were fine, but hers weren’t. So she got glasses, and I didn’t.

The variance in sibling vision was written off as hereditary. My dad wore glasses and had from an early age. So it was assumed that Aimee had my dad’s eyes. My mom, meanwhile, had never (to that time) had any problems with eyesight, so it was assumed that I had my mom’s eyes.

Similar conclusions were reached within my family when it came to teeth. My dad has always had horrible dental problems, having a long history of bridge-work and false teeth. Aimee has faced a similar fate, having to endure everything from root canals to braces as a teenager. (Though it should be noted that a roller skating mishap, in which her three front teeth were chipped, played a role in her dental woes.) My mom, meanwhile, has a long history of healthy teeth, a trait I seemed to have inherited. Save for a few cavities here and there, my teeth seem to be in reasonably healthy condition, even though I have, at times, gone years between trips to the dentist.

Inheriting my mom’s genes has not been all good, mind you. While eyes and teeth have always seemed to be strong points, knees are another story. Both my mom and I have struggled with knee-related stiffness and soreness through the years — something that hasn’t seemed to bother Aimee and Dad as much.

So I was happily going through life, a little worried about my knees, but fully confident in my eyes and teeth, when something happened. I started noticing that I was having trouble seeing the program guide on my satellite TV system. Words that used to pop with clarity started requiring me to adjust, refocus and even squint.

So when my daughter, Katie (who got glasses a year ago), headed in for an annual visit to the optometrist, I decided I ought to have my eyes checked as well. I knew I was in trouble the moment they told me to read the eye chart with my left eye covered. Letters that moments earlier were reasonably easy to read became indecipherable. After a full examination, the doctor told me I was near-sighted in both eyes, significantly more so in my right eye. It was time to get glasses.

So, with the help of my wife and daughter, I picked out a nice set of brown, wire-rims. They look pretty decent on my face, I guess; and better yet, I can suddenly see so much better. Street signs and billboards now appear to me in amazing clarity. The lights over Nucor and Tenaris, which had previously blended into one big aura, now appear to me as individual points of light. And I can finally see the program guide on my satellite TV without a struggle. I hadn’t realized how much I wasn’t seeing — or, more accurately, wasn’t seeing clearly — until I got glasses.

Of course, I’m upset with my mother, or more specifically, my mother’s genes, for failing me. I was supposed to be able to last until my 50s or 60s before needing glasses; and even then, it would only be for reading. I guess now I can expect my teeth to start falling out as well.

Or maybe these things can’t be predicted. Maybe our fate isn’t as written into stone as we sometimes trick ourselves into thinking it is. (Or perhaps my mom needed glasses from the time she was in her mid-30s, but was just too stubborn to go to the eye doctor.)

Either way, I’m getting used to my glasses. I’m learning to remember to put them on, and Katie just showed me how to properly clean them. I’m a believer in the adage that we should take kindly the counsel of years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. For me , that means, in part, coming to terms with the fact that my eyesight is no longer perfect. I need a little help, and that’s my glasses give me. I'm seeing the world through a whole new set of eyes..