The Woes of Being Nearsighted

I have struggled with myopia most of my life.  It sounds more serious than it is; it just means I'm nearsighted.  I'm not sure if it's because I played Game Boy too much as a kid or simply genetics.  All I know is that for the majority of my adolescent years, I saw the world in a blur.  I was unaware of how severe my vision problems were, so I just adapted.  I went to the eye doctor to get glasses when I was about 13 and tried contacts.  I was unable to get them in after trying for over an hour.  I gave up and only wore my glasses at school when I needed to see the board.  I was embarrassed to wear them regularly and as the years went on, my vision gradually got worse. 

School was harder than it should have been simply because my distance vision was so strained.  I even struggled to see people's faces and one of my friends thought I was being rude by not acknowledging him, when in reality, I couldn't see that it was him.  

It got even harder when I started driving.  Since I wasn't used to my glasses and was required to wear them for my driving test, I failed the first time.  There were definitely other factors at play to cause that failure, but my vision played a major role.  Once I got my license, I knew I was supposed to wear my glasses whenever I drove, but I rarely did.  This led to a few close calls with accidents and I was unable to learn street names.  People would talk about directions and I'd have no idea what they meant because I couldn't see street signs.  I'd have to rely on landmarks to learn how to get places.

As time went on, I was living with my disability, but I wasn't experiencing life to the fullest.  Any time I went to the movies I had to sit very close to the front, and even then the screen was still blurry.  

At the age of 19, I was doing okay at my community college, but not my best.  I was about to graduate and get my AA degree and I knew something had to change before I went a larger University in the fall.  I finally decided I needed to go to the eye doctor, face my fears, and try contacts again.  I was extremely nervous because I was afraid there would be something really wrong with eyes.  It turns out, my vision went from 20/200 to 20/400, which made sense considering all the trouble I was having.  The old glasses I was using were pretty much worthless.  I was dreading trying contacts again because I had such a difficult time before.  But finally, after several tries, I got them in.

I didn't know what to expect, but when I could finally see clearly, I was amazed.  I couldn't believe how much I was missing out on.  On the drive home I told my mom I could actually read the street signs.  It was like a whole new world for me.  That night,  I looked up at the sky, and for the first time in years, I could see the stars.

Getting them out was something I struggled with the first week, but after finding a video on YouTube that taught an easier technique, I quickly learned to removed them with ease.

I remember how much easier my first semester at the University was since I no longer struggled to see the board.  My grades improved and I even made new friends because I was so much more confident in my social skills.  I could actually see the expressions on people's faces when they talked to me.

The whole point to this story is, if you need to do something simple to improve your quality of life, but you're afraid, you should always try.  I'm so thankful for my contacts every day.  I wear the Dailies, so I put a new pair in every morning, and I absolutely love them.  They are the healthiest lenses and rarely bother my eyes.  My life was improved tremendously and I want everyone who shares this condition to understand what I went through so they can experience life clearly as well.