Seeing through Older Eyes

The Eye of Sauron, as drawn by Summer Burstow, has nothing to do with this story, other than a loose connection to an eye theme,  It is what is called click bait.

You know you're getting old when the only thing you ask for your birthday is a magnifying glass.

I used to see for what seemed like miles.  I was always the first in the car to read distant road signs, long before anyone else could even make out that there was a sign.  And I could read the finest, tiniest print that was presented to me.  There was no line in the eye chart that I couldn't rattle off.

Growing up, I felt like I didn't have normal vision.  I had Super Vision, and I could see farther and closer than anyone else!  I was Super Vision Lad, and it helped me feel special.

I could read anything I wanted, for as long as I wanted.  When I was a teacher, there was nothing a student wrote that I couldn't decipher, no matter how twisted their scrawl.  In accounting, it was very helpful in detecting and translating the very many different kinds of data, hand and machine written, that was presented to me.

But years of this super ability, and constantly using it, finally took its toll.  Things slowly became less clear, especially the smaller scrawls. The strain of trying to focus on it was beginning to cause severe headaches, and I finally had to bite the bullet and get glasses.

I tried reading glasses, but the difference in going from written records in front of me, and then to the computer caused things to go out of focus and contributed to greater eye strain.  If I was just reading, then reading glasses were helpful, but going back and forth from different sized data sources was maddening.

So I had to get real glasses.  The eye doctor put me in trifocals, and you had to learn what section of the glasses to look through to see up close or farther away.  It took awhile to get used to, but eventually I adjusted without having to think about it.

I used to not mind night driving, but now it's becoming more of a pain.  I can do it, but I have to take off my glasses to prevent glare, and it's not as easy as it once was.  I can understand  why some who age steer away from it.

I don't need to wear my glasses all the time.  They're still most valuable for reading.  It's just, that both professionally and recreationally, I'm constantly reading one thing or another. So I hardly ever take them off anymore.  Of course, the more you use them, the more dependent you become on them. Lately, I've found that wearing them even improve my view of the television.

Every few years I find that the eye doctor has to adjust my prescription, as my fine print ability continues to decline.  And rather than get trifocals with even sharper regions, just on those rare occasions where I want to write something tiny, like the back of a baseball card with 20 years of statistics, I just get out my extra special birthday present - my very own magnifying glass!

Sometimes I miss having super powers.  It was fun being Super Vision Lad.  But seeing through older eyes isn't all bad.  There is wisdom and joy, in watching the young grow up around you, and still being able to cherish the sunset, and reading the finer print in life.  Even if it takes the help of a magnifying glass.