I started wearing glasses when I was eight years old. I was nearsighted, and as the years went on, my vision got worse and worse. By the time I was in college, I could no longer read the numbers on my bedside table clock. It was that bad.
I knew the genetic odds of my children needing glasses was higher than average. When they were three or four years old, we began our annual visits to the eye doctor. My son has, so far, been fine. But my daughter was considered borderline farsighted for two years. Then she began having frequent headaches. Even though it had only been six months since her last vision check, our pediatrician recommended we go ahead and check her eyesight again. And lo and behold, she had gone from “borderline” to “definitely farsighted.”
Farsightedness was not something I was very familiar with. I assumed it was just the opposite of nearsightedness. But our eye doctor explained that it isn’t just that you can see more clearly things that are farther away, but that you have trouble switching your focus from up close to far away. My daughter was almost certainly getting headaches because it was more difficult for her to constantly be changing her focal point.
I’m glad Olive is getting glasses. I’m thankful that she won’t have the headaches anymore, and I’m so glad we can correct her vision before it gets worse. I’m thrilled that she seems legitimately excited to wear them. However, after years of wearing glasses and contacts myself, I’m also a little bit sad about this new phase.
First, Olive is only six years old. The bridge of her nose is barely big enough to hold up her glasses. She’s only worn them for a couple days, and I can see how she has adjusted, tilting her head up, just to keep the glasses from slipping down. I wish I could fix this for her, figure out how to stop those darn things from slipping. But I can’t. And I’m sure the summer heat and sweat will only make the problem worse.
Next, I’m worried that my daughter will grow to dislike swimming, all because of vision. For me, there was a definite correlation between my vision getting worse and my enjoyment of the pool. I couldn’t wear glasses in the water, but I also couldn’t see my friends if they were more than ten feet away from me. It was a weird, scary feeling. It helped a little when I got contacts, but then I could only hang out in the pool—no more swimming underwater or diving.
Another thing… When Olive wears the glasses, her eyes appear larger and different somehow. Sometimes I feel like I can barely see her eyes at all. And to be totally honest, I miss seeing her face without the glasses. She has beautiful eyes, and seeing her with glasses is like meeting a new face. I have talked with other moms of glasses-wearing kids, and they all say that it doesn’t take long before their child looks unfamiliar without the glasses. I know this is such a superficial thing to be sad about, but I can’t help it.
Finally, it makes me sad that she has to suddenly be so responsible. Make sure the glasses always go in the case at night. Don’t take them off that way; it will bend the frames. Try not to touch the lenses so they don’t get smudged. Don’t wrestle with Daddy until you take your glasses off. Don’t set your glasses on the coffee table or the cat will chew on them (my husband learned this lesson the hard way).
She gets frustrated, and it all feels so unfair to her. I’m sorry that you have to be so careful, Olive, because you know what? It feels unfair to me, too.
