Monday, August 08, 2011

Life without my glasses

As recently as the fall of 2005 I did not have glasses.   I started to have my right eye lose focus by the end of the day during the 2005 provincial election - I was working 16 hour days on the Yes to STV campaign and thought it was just fatigue.   In October I went to Toronto for a Quaker committee meeting and that weekend my right eye could no longer focus.   Since that time my right has never focused again.

It turns out a severe astigmatism in my right eye and have had it since birth.   My brain and eye managed to compensate for the problem for my first 40 years.

We go forward six years and I sank my glasses in the Gorge by accident last week.   I am awaiting new glasses but in the meantime I realize how utterly dependent I am on them now.   I have trouble reading anything smaller than 24 pt type and then I need to cover my right eye to do so.   At the moment I have my computer screen zoomed 300% and things are still blurry.  I do not really trust myself to drive because my vision is blurry.  Bright sunlight makes my vision worse and makes me sick to my stomach.

I hope to get new glasses this week, till then I will not be doing much writing, reading or work.   I am working my way through "Tatort" and doing some refinishing work on my house.

No comments: