Life In 3-D

I’ve had the glasses for two weeks now and I’m still getting used to them.  They are bifocal and the line drives me crazy at times.  I can’t use them at the computer but that’s OK.

The first week I had them, it seemed like inanimate objects jumped out at me.  Walking through the big room at the health club, the exercise machines lunged at me with their various handles, seats, and weight bars sticking out.  Anyone paying close attention would have thought I had a nervous condition.  That was when I realized what’s different now.

Now I have more depth perception.  I hadn’t noticed it had decreased.  Now that it’s back, I feel like I’m roaming around inside a 3-D movie.

The adjustment period comes as no surprise.  Adjustment periods have become a regular occurrence in my life.  It’s nice to see more detail on the ground when I’m walking.  It’s a relief to recognize faces and facial expressions at a greater distance.  I still don’t see well and it isn’t what it was as the beginning of 2003.  But it’s an improvement and I’ll take whatever I can get.

The glasses will do fine for now.  But, I’m still optimistic about what the future holds in medicine.  Will I one day have a retina transplant?  Will stem cells repair the damaged parts of my eyes?  Maybe it will be a bionic retina that restores my vision.  All of those things are being tested and perfected.  Maybe there’s a “dark horse candidate” I’m not aware of that will come to my rescue.

One thing is for certain.  This 3-D movie that has become my life will continue to have plot twists and surprises. 

Expanding My Horizons, Literally

On Friday I picked up my new pair of prescription glasses.  I’m gradually working up to wearing them all day.  There’s a noticeable difference in how well I can see with them on.

They’re tinted, which cuts down on glare inside as well as outside.  My eyes are just that sensitive to glare.  A couple of years ago, I started wearing sunglasses when using the computer.  I’ll probably have to continue doing that, because the new glasses are bifocal and the line is right where I look when I’m writing.  That’s OK, I use Zoomtext, a magnifier program, and would still need it even with the glasses.

Yes, even with correction, I still can’t see normal.  But, I can see better than I have in eight years.  I’m starting to walk with a little more confidence.  It’s easier to read numbers on my cell phone.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll even get to start using the address book instead of keeping phone numbers in my head.  A little less clutter in there would be a good thing.

The little bubble of isolation I’ve lived in since 2003 has grown larger, encompassing people at a greater distance.  I can see faces, expressions, and recognize people that last week would have been beyond the veil of blurriness I’ve come to know and despise.  Social situations have sometimes been painful and awkward for me since my vision unexpectedly worsened in 2003.  It’s just harder to connect with people when you can’t make eye contact at a distance more than two or three feet.  It has made me feel alone in a crowd more often than I care to think about.

Several times today, I lowered the glasses just enough to peer over them, to measure the difference in what I can see.  My vision isn’t quite at the pre-2003 level, but it’s improved. 

So, this marks a new era in the never-ending, constantly-changing saga of Jim’s Vision.  Now, I’ll spend the next several weeks (or months) getting accustomed, once again, to a different level of eyesight.  This time, it’s an improvement, so the adjustment period will be full of positive discoveries and surprises.

I always love it when my world expands.

Next on the ‘to do’ list: shopping for a car and planning that cross-country road trip to the west coast.

Just kidding. J