Or maybe not.

This morning I had one of these photos taken of my eyes - or rather, the inside of my eyes. It required drops to dilate my pupils, and they take about 2 hours to wear off. It was pretty disconcerting for that duration - things were blurry in a blotchy kind of fashion - and I even struggled to read a text message that came in from Marc, after I managed to predictive-text to him the fact that everything was blurry. [I finally worked out that he sent 'Still texting tho' ?' Heh.]

I could only imagine how crap it would be to have a permanent vision impairment like that.

It was a bit freaky seeing myself in the mirror when I went to the loo. Evil eyes, with the huge dilated black pupils!! (So then I felt self-conscious walking around wondering if people could notice them!!)

The special photo - plus a field test that I did - were to check that some blotchy vision I sometimes experienced, and a slight difference in the shape of my retina - apparently - weren't anything to worry about. Nothing showed up (like early onset of glaucoma or the like), and my field vision is good. So the different shape most likely has to do with the fact that my eyes are indeed anatomically different - unsurprising given one is shortsighted and one is longsighted! And the occasional patch stuff because they work hard compensating for each other.

So that's all good.

By the time I'd wandered around the shops, and then met up with Marc for lunch, I was good to drive home. What a relief to be able to see clearly again.

Only then, I've sat down here at the computer and put on my glasses with their new prescription lenses that I just picked up. And it's not real flash.

Because each eye compensates for the other, I don't need glasses to drive. Nothing is blurry. I can even watch TV or movies, or read without them, but wearing them probably puts less strain on my eyes. (The other day when bike riding on the back of the tandem in a group, I was the one picking up oncoming cyclists in the distance on the bike path before anyone else!!)

The only place I really need them is the computer - I guess it must be a distance from the screen thing.

But with this new prescription, the optometrist has done this multi-focal lens for the first time,(it's a new optometrist), where the bottom half is optimised for reading, and the top half for the longer distance. When Zoe got glasses for the first time the other week, she didn't have a problem with the multi-focal thing at all.

But oh boy. I do. This is horrible. If it had been a new frame job as well, I'd have dumped these and hauled out my old glasses by now. But I have no option!

I think I'll ring them to find out how long it should take me to adjust. Because right now I'm not feeling very happy about the $200 plus I've just paid - for it to be not quite clear, and for it to go all really weird and distorted when I move my head.

It is all feeling rather headache inducing, and frankly, I don't need any extra headache inducing factors in my life.

Conspiracy theory: I am wondering if my husband has been in cohorts with the optometrist. "Can you give her lenses that will make her less comfortable at the computer, so she spends less time there?"

~~~~~~~~~
I just rang.

"Usually takes a few days.... bla bla... give them a rest for the rest of today"

"Well, then I can't use my computer at all really.... I have to say I'm just a bit distressed that I've just paid over $200 for lenses that I can't use!"

"Well, can you come in tomorrow?.. OK, well, come in then and we'll check them.. bla bla..."

[It's bloody lucky I'm not really REALLY needing them for paid work isn't it. If I had an office job to go back to I'd be up the proverbial creek.. As it is, I guess I don't need them to vacuum, empty the dishwasher and cook dinner.]

Not a completely happy little vegemite this afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~
Updated to add: So I have discovered that if I lower my head slightly and peer through the top quarter of the lens, it is more 'normal'. Great. And apparently to use the reading optimised bottom part of the lens you need to learn not to lower your head and just lower your eyes. Anyone see the contradiction here?

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