Patrick who says don’t call me Pat is now a 20 year old college sophomore at his hometown college in Anderson Indiana. Like every other college student Patrick wonders when school will resume due to the Corona outbreak. Patrick has short hair but that wasn’t always the case I will get to that in the story. The Anderson school system about 2 years before Patrick started 1st grade dropped their in house vision screening in favor of requiring an Optometrist exam before the odd numbered grads such a 1, 3 5 etc. Patrick’s Mom Dot is an Optometrist but elects to send him to a different Dr. in another office. Some Optometrists have been known to do eye exams on their own kids but Dot is not one of them nor does his Dad a dentist treat Patrick. On these exams Patrick before grades 1, 3 and 5 had showed very mild Myopia but not bad enough for glasses yet. Patrick’s Mom who has explained that in the future he probably will need glasses does in the off years quick test on a pre screening machine in her office and the before 6 grade is when she decides he needs to not wait the extra year. Patrick can only read a few letters on the 20/40 line with each eye and even with both eyes misses some on the same line. In prior years Patrick had been able to read all the 20/30 line and even some of the 20/25 line. Dot explains to Patrick that 20/40 iswhi the threshold she uses to prescribe glasses to a kid his age and books an exam with his regular Dr. Dot farther explains to Patrick that while he may not think his eyes are not that bad now in the future he could well get to where he has no choice to wear glasses full time. Patrick has his exam right after 5th grade is out for the summer and is prescribed glasses of -1.00 for each eye. Patrick is told to wear his glasses as needed for distance. Since he does not have Astigmatism reading or up close is not a concern. Dot has Patrick who is bothered by the sun get photochromic lenses. Patrick is told that full time wear if desired that is ok. Patrick gets his glasses and wears them when outside in the sun but not much otherwise. About the only time during that summer Patrick wears his glasses is when he goes either to Anderson Speedway in his hometown or the Indianapolis Speedrome about 30 miles away and then after the sun goes down only when figure 8 is running and not oval. Patrick on the first day of 6th grade decides to wear his glasses to the bus stop and to see if they make any difference in school. Patrick finds he can see the board fine without glasses and after that does not even take them to school the rest of the year. Dot encourages Patrick to at least wear his glasses in school but he reminds her that the well respected Optometrist she picked said as needed. Patrick finished 6th grade with straight A’s and it’s now time for his now annual exam. Patrick when asked about how much he has worn his glasses tells the truth and his Optometrist does encourages him to at least wear them in school but the as needed comes up again. Patrick who is 1/4 Cherokee Indian only has his prescription changed by -.25 in each eye to -1.25. It is noted by both Dot and Patrick’s Optometrist that people of Indian descent eyesight sometime doesn’t change as much as other people. Patrick that summer continues wearing his now new prescription photochromic glasses out in the sun and even some when watching TV and home. Patrick starts 7th grade and finds in one classroom where the teacher lets the kids pick their seats he has trouble seeing the board from the back row. Patrick starts wearing his glasses in that class which is first period and sometimes leaves them on all day even walking in his house with them still on which pleases Dot and his Dad Jay. Patrick by the middle of the school year is now leaving his glasses on all day everyday in school and about half the time at home. Patrick finishes 7 grade with straight A’s again and when Mom Dot tires to credit the glasses she is reminded that he did the same thing last year while not wearing them. Patrick has his eye exam that summer with his prescription going all the way up to -2.00. Full time wear is advised. The Optometrist says you are wearing glasses all day in school, anytime out in the sun and about half the time at home so that is not really a big difference. Patrick makes Dot happy when he comes to breakfast the next day which is Sunday wearing his glasses. Patrick had never done that before. Patrick in the summer before 8th grade is now wearing his glasses from the time he gets out of bed until he takes them off for bedtime. The only other time Patrick takes his glasses off is when in the shower or swimming. Both Patrick’s parents like to pull harmless pranks on each other and on him although one time they tearfully admit going too far. One day while at school Patrick’s new puppy is taken to the vet to get “fixed” and has to stay overnight. Patrick is told the puppy ran off which is not true of course. This all happened during 5th grade and Patrick is crying and can’t be clamed down until he answers the phone when the vet calls to say all went well with the surgery and the puppy can be picked up the next day. Patrick’s parents to this day that is a prank they regret It was during the summer between 7th and 8th grade Patrick pulled what was possibly his best prank. One of the neighborhood kids who went to a private boys school that did not allow earrings liked to wear them so he got a few pairs of magnetic earrings despite his parents offering to get his ears pierced when school was out for the summer. The boy hated needles and said no he would stick to magnetic earrings. Patrick borrows a pair of magnetic earrings from the boy and wears them home telling his parents he paid a woman $20 to pose as his Mother to get his ears pierced. To say Patrick’s parents reaction was a surprise to him would be an understatement. Patrick’s parents said if we had known you wanted your ears pierced we would have took you and his Dad revealed before starting dental school he had pierced ears but decided in his profession it wouldn’t look good. Patrick keeps this prank up for a couple of hours and then comes clean saying the earrings are magnetic. Patrick’s parents who both liked the way the earrings looked decide to offer him a deal. Just before 8th grade starts Patrick’s phone is up for renewal. If he gets his ears pierced with something similar to what he wore in magnetic now he will get the phone he wants so he agrees. Patrick who is unusual in that he really cares about his appearance gets his ears pierced and right before school starts gets the phone. Patrick on the first day of 8th grade realizes why he started wearing his glasses more. Only about a halfway back in the classroom he takes his glasses off for cleaning and realizes he can’t see the board without them. Patrick again makes straight A’s in that year and his prescription is unchanged that summer. As 9th grade starts Patrick’s best friend since 4th grade Colin tells him something very few people knew. Colin family had moved before that year and up until the previous year he wore glasses he outgrew. Colin nor his single Dad never understood how that happened so the 2 asked Patrick’s Mom how something like that can happen. Dot explains how kids sometimes outgrow Hyperopia or far-sighted as it sometimes called. Colin is told he could go Myopic or near-sighted in the future. Colin who has never thought his vision was that good has always shown 20/20 on exams but notes when riding in the car at night he seems to have a hard time. Dot tells Colin when he starts driving if his vision is still 20/20 a very low prescription could help with night driving. Patrick again makes straight A’s and this time there is a decent change in his prescription that summer. Both eyes jump to -2.50 and he now has Astigmatism in both. Patrick loves his phone and thought he gets a bit of a hard time continues wearing the earrings. Patrick as his sophomore starts is having a hard time personally while still doing very well in school. The year before Patrick got a girlfriend and just before school started she “{dumped” him. On top of that Colin’s Dad got a job in Florida. Patrick and Colin kept in touch via text and instant messaging and stayed friends. This is what caused Patrick to alter is appearance. First he grew his usually buzzed hair very long and even bleached it from brown to blonde. Patrick’s parents had no problem with this since he was still doing well in school and didn’t even know if he was still wearing the earrings. Patrick again finished the year with straight A’s while keeping his hair long and now growing a beard. Patrick as soon as he turned 16 got his drivers learners permit as his parents urging though he had little interest in driving. Dot told Patrick not to even try the DMV vision without glasses which he wasn’t planning on anyway. Patrick that summer aces his in car and written driving tests getting his license. Patrick is surprised with a car his parents explaining with their schedules it will be easier for him getting around. Patrick’s eye exam after that school year reveals no change in prescription. Patrick starts his junior year still with the long bleached hair and beard. Patrick the whole time keeping in touch with Colin goes thru that year of school and during spring break is surprised when Colin and his Dad come for a visit. Colin by now has his learners permit in Florida and complains to Dot about trying to drive at night. Dot takes Colin into her office and does an exam which reveals he had gone Myopic or near-sighted. Dot realizes Colin’s and Patrick’s PD are the same and since he is between -.75 and -1.00 in each eye has him try on the first pair of glasses here son wore. The school system in Florida did not require eye exams or do screening so this was not caught. Colin is told to go ahead and wear the glasses and take them home with you. Colin unlike Patrick puts the glasses on and only takes them off for taking a shower and going to bed the rest of the visit. The Sunday before spring break ends the 2 leave with Colin still wearing Patrick’s first pair of glasses. As this school year ends Patrick still makes straight A’s and finds out Colin when getting his license is restricted to corrective lenses. As Patrick’s junior year ends a local TV station is advertising an extreme makeover for both a teenage boy and girl. Patrick is nominated and picked as the boy for it. Patrick only condition is the beard can be trimmed but not taken off as he is proud of being able to grow it young. The makeover starts and due to Patrick being under 18 his parents are required to be there. When Patrick’s parents are asked if they can pierce his ears they say he used to have them but don’t even know if he still does so it’s ok with us but up to him. Patrick when asked how short he would prefer his hair he said buzzed as he is tired of the care and the blond. When the hair is gone the earrings are still there but kind of tarnished so a new pair is put in. Patrick comes out of the makeover looking like his old self and his senior pictures taken that summer look great. At the routine eye exam Patrick’s prescription takes another jump this time to a -2.75R and -3.00L. Patrick goes thru his senior year again making straight A’s and graduates 3rd in class and has a full ride to college. Patrick is surprised at his graduation party with a round trip plane ticket to Florida to visit Colin. Patrick’s parents had been in touch with Colin’s Dad about which way the visit would go and a coin flip decided Patrick would go to Florida. Patrick gets to Florida and is picked up at the airport by Colin who is not wearing glasses. Come to find out at the small high school he went to Colin at 6'2 played basketball and got contacts. Colin explains after he uses up the contacts he has now he is going back to glasses full time. Colin reveals his glasses prescription is now -2.00 in each eye double what it was at first. Colin reveals he hates Florida and after graduating his hometown college plans to look for work either in Anderson or nearby Indianapolis. Patrick after a 2 week long visit with Colin returns home for his regular eye exam and this time his prescription. It seems like Patrick’s prescription only changes every other year. Patrick the next fall starts college and does very well easily maintaining the grades to keep his scholarship up. Freshman year of college is uneventful and this time during the summer between his freshman and sophomore Colin comes to Anderson to visit not back to glasses only. Colin’s prescription is now up to -2.25R and -2.50L. Colin stays 2 weeks and during this time Patrick has his routine eye exam and gets a prescription of -3.00R and -3.50L. Patrick does sometimes get headaches when his glasses get stronger but they soon go away as him Mom said they would. Patrick says it helps having a Mom who is an Optometrist and a Dad who is a dentist as if he has a question about either profession he can ask them. Patrick this past fall starts his sophomore year of college and all goes well except for the coronal outbreak closing everything. Starting Wednesday Indiana goes on a stay at home order. Non critical businesses are required to close. Of course both of Patrick’s will still be working during the time in medical fields. Get this liquor stores are allowed to be open. This story is fantasy except for the village idiot governor of Indiana putting us in “jail” so to speak. I don’t know how police would know where anybody is going. McDonalds and other food places are allowed carryout and drive thru only and that type business can stay open. Grocery stores and drug stores can be open which I understand.
https://vision-and-spex.com/extreme-makeover-teenage-edition-t1654.html