I can SEE!!

So for the better part of a month now, my left eye has hurt. I mean, Hurt (<--with a capital "H"!) I have to move my whole head in order to look from side to side (it's painful just to move my eyeballs), which makes driving a bit of a challenge when checking my mirrors. And, as if the pain isn't bad enough, my left eye has been fuzzy. It's like when you have a smudge or stratch on your sunglasses that you can't clean off. Right eye? Fine. Clear as day! So John and I went to the eye doctor for exams (my first in about two years).




I sat down to read the charts, covering one eye, then the other. Covering my left eye, I could see every letter on the bottom line:

E D F T A P L

Left to right, right to left... piece of cake. Now cover the other eye--UH OH. I'm not to proud to admit it here, but I teared up. Okay, I started crying. For someone who has always been able to see perfect out of both eyes and from any distance, this was upsetting. I couldn't see the last two lines! I mean, I knew they were there, but what were those letters!?!? I fumbled through the second to last line, and admitted that the very bottom line was a total blur. And it didn't help that my eyes were welling up as I tried to squint and read. Okay, so I didn't pass that test. Let's look at some grids, squiggly lines, dots, lights... the whole sha-bang. The doctor comes into tell me that I have 20/20 vision in my right eye, and 20/30 in my left, with an astigmatism. He even broke out the cut-in-half raquet ball to show me how my eyeball has changed. Awesome.


John sits for his test while I go pick out my new frames. The gal at the desk tried making me feel better about it by saying that even though she had Lasik, she wants the doctor to put plain lenses in her frames so she can still wear them every day. She said she has about 8 pair, and she accessorizes with them! Woo-hoo! I'm not at that level of enthusiasm, yet. Granted, growing up I would put on my sister Angie's glasses whenever she wasn't wearing them, cause I thought it was fun and made me look more studious. Then again, I didn't have to wear them then, so it was still fun. Now, I've been instructed to wear them "as much as possible." Okay, fine.

Now, for the past several years, I've worn glasses to read or use the computer, so it's not altogether foreign for me. But to walk around wearing them, drive with them, etc... it just feels weird. At work, I habitually take my glasses off before walking to the printer or to a meeting, because the sole purpose of them was for the computer screen. Now, I don't take them off.

Question is... Do I still look like myself? Should I take them off for pictures? If I don't, will there be a glare in the pictures? I don't know how to wear glasses!! Once I get used to them, how will I drive since I don't have prescription sunglasses? Ugh, this is quite the change for me.

So... do I still look like myself?