This story is fantasy but I wonder if something like this really happened.
I’m now an 18 year old high school senior and like just about all schools in the US we are out this time for the year. I’ve confirmed since I have the credits and requirements to graduate I will not have to attend high school after this year. I’m now considered a high school graduate by the school system.
When I was 13 my sister 3 years younger failed her vision screening at school. My sister had an appointment booked for the next Saturday and I didn’t think nothing of iy until on the day I was planning on sleeping in my Mom gets me up. I’m groggy and ask what for? I’m told I’m getting my eyes examined too. I ask why and since I passed the school screening. My Mom said she thought it would be a good idea and I go protesting the whole way. My sister goes first and is Hyperopic or farsighted with Astigmatism. I never knew her prescription. I go next and to my suprise I’m told about being Myopic or nearsighted and I too need glasses. I ask why when I passed the school screening without a problem? I’m told that like the drivers license exam the schools use 20/40 and don’t send kids with that vision or better for an exam. I was 20/30 R and 20/25L so I don’t think I need glasses. In May I get my glasses which are only -.50R and -.25L with no Astigmatism. I’m having no trouble seeing the board so I don’t wear the glasses in school for the rest of the year.
The next school year starts and still not having any trouble seeing the board even from the back row I’m still not wearing my glasses. When my parents question me I said the Dr. said as needed. As we get into March I notice I having trouble seeing the board from the 2 classes I sit in or towards the back. I do start wearing my glasses in school only in the 2 classes that I’m having trouble. When May comes up and the school exam comes up again I fail that exam even with glasses. When I ask the school nurse why I’m asked how much I have growed in the last year and having a spurt it’s about inches.. I’m now at 14 just under 6 feet tall. The nurse has me see what I can read without glasses and how much I was told to wear them? I said as needed. I’m then told I will probably be told full time now which I don’t like.
My sister and I go for our regular eye exams again on a Saturday and her prescription actually goes down and the Astigmatism is not there anymore. I’m not so lucky. My prescription jumps all the way to -1.75 and -2.00 again with no Astigmatism and get the dreaded news I need to wear glasses full time. I’m not happy but comply as best I can until the headaches go away. Even being male I’ve always taken the Dr’s advice. School ends for that year and I do wear my glasses full time all summer as I notice the big difference they make compared to the first pair.
The next school year is uneventful but when asked what I can read with glasses it’s only the 20/30 line which doesn’t surprise me as I thought my vision had changed a little bit. Come May my sister and I as usual on Saturday go for our routine eye exams. My sister now 12 goes back for the first time by herself without either parent as I had done since my first appointment. My sister and the Dr. both come out of the exam room looking very happy I missed this as I was doing the pre test by then but my parents took a video and I saw it later. My lucky sister was told she had outgrown the Hyperopia and with no Astigmatism doesn’t even need glasses anymore. My sister and our parents are told it’s possible she could go Myopic in the future. I have my exam and my prescription is increased only by -.25 in each eye. The Dr. then said she wants to talk to my parents which worried me but I’m told nothing is wrong. The Dr. wants permission if I say yes to do a contact exam. My parents especially my Mom hates the way I look in glasses and says if he’s ok with it so are we. I had secretly thougth about contacts since last year but figured my parents would say no. I do get contacts and by the last week of school I’m only wearing glasses first thing in the morning and late in the evening.before bed. I do notice one thing with contacts is my eyes seem irritated whenever I’m on the computer either surfing the net or playing video games.
During that summer I happen to be at a friends house playing video games and say it’s been fun by my eyes are irritated and I’m going home. My friend’s parents are very casual and hate being called Mr. and Mrs and tell everybody that visits to call them by their nicknames which are Cotton and Jen for Jenny. I never found out why Cotton. When I mentioned that Cotton said I thing I know what will help you. Cotton knew I was wearing contacts and says get a pair of blue blocker glasses for the computer. I said I don’t want to give up contacts. Cotton said no that wasn’t what I had in mind. Cotton then explained that both he and Jen are Optometrists and the idea was to wear the glasses over contacts only when on the computer or phone. Cotton asks me to come back the next day. An optical rep had given them a few pairs of non prescription blue blocker glasses anxious for teenagers to try and report what they thing of them. He gives me a choice of a couple of frames and I take a black very similar to what I wear when I’m not wearing contacts. I have to ask my parents permission to do this since I’m a minor and they say ok. The glasses really seem to help with eye strain and irritation when on a computer or phone.
The next school year starts and classmates are surprised I have glasses again except for 2 others who are patients of Cotton and Jen using them for the same thing. That school year goes on and with doing a lot on a laptop I’m wearing the glasses pretty much the whole day. One very stubborn teacher actualy requests notes on why we are wearing glasses with no prescription. I get a not from Cotton as do the other 2 and then he complains to the school board and the teacher is told to stop or he will be fired. That school year when I turned 16 on a Saturday I’m again gotten up and don’t know why. My Dad says put your contacts in we are going for a ride.
As I would do sometimes on weekends I said no I’m not putting in contacts today. My Dad asks if the prescription is up to date and I saw it is last years which is very little less and I’m told in no uncertain terms to put my contacts in which I do. Once in the car I’m handed a small book and told to read in the half hour drive we have from our semi rural setting. It is the drivers license manual. I told I’m going to get my permit which Iike a lot of teenagers this day and age I hadn’t really thought about. My Dad explains the he and my Mom are tired of picking me up after school when I’m involved in a club or something like that. I have no interest in playing sports. By the time we get to the BMV I’ve read the manual from cover to cover. I take the test passing with only 1 missed and then am called up for the vision screening. As I get up to walk to the machine my Dad said this is why I insisted you put your contacts in. I pass admitting I’m wearing contacts and get the restriction. Later that same day I’m at my friends house and Cotton has a new pair of blue blockers for me to try saying they are designed for contact lens wearers. They serve the purpose well but I can’t really tell any difference. I do mention to Cotton if they made these type glasses in prescription it would be good and am told they do. Cotton then shows me the Zenni website saying since he don’t sell glasses that is what he suggests for contact lens people who only wear glasses like I do. We do a dummy order using something close to my prescription and come up with only about $50 US. I tell my parents I would like to order a pair like this and have the money but need your permission. I’m told go ahead just fudge on the birth date so I’m 18 and do so. I get the glasses and by the end of the summer I’m about half and half with these and contacts.
My junior year starts and I’m still doing the half and half and when asked why I say I’m changing up a bit. A strange thing happens on the first day of school. My sister now 14 comes home saying she needs an eye appointment. Seems she may have gone Myopic. I find my very first pair of glasses and have her try them on and they do make a difference. Biggest difference is we have differnt stronger eyes. My sister has an eye exam and is prescribed glasses for Myopia and Astigmatism but I never knew the prescription. During the summer I had started in a private drivers ed. school which I continued on Saturdays. Once comfortable driving my Dad tells me we are going out in the old pickup and be sure and bring your permit. I said I can’t drive that thing as we had only used an automatic in class. I’m taken to a gravel road and given the basics of driving a clutch which is a 3 on the column sometimes called a 3 on the tree. After getting the hang of it we go on a lightly traveled state highway and I get more and more used to it. During this whole time I only killed it once when taking off. The next Saturday at class we are told 3 out of 9 of us are going out in a car that hadn’t been used up until that time. When I looked in the Chevy Cobalt I noticed it was a manual transmission. By draw I go last and don’t tell the teacher about my time in the truck. After many times the other 2 killed the engine and jerk starts I get behind the wheel. The teacher goes thru explaining the basics and says now let’s see what you got. I quickly find out this was much easier then the truck. The teacher then asks how I did that and I tell her my Dad took me out in a 3 on the tree 85 Chevy truck. The teacher said I knew you had driven one right away. Turning 17 in December I could now go for my license and passed all 3 parts of the tests and happened to be wearing glasses and not contacts. When we got home I’m told to get in the old truck and go pick up some lumber for a project. I said whos going with me and am told nobody you got your license. My first licensed drive was in a 3 on the tree truck which I complete. The surprise was when I got home. A 2007 Chevy Cobalt was waiting on me and it only had 44,000 miles on it. On top of that it was a manual. My Dad had called the drivers ed. teacher and asked if she thougth that was an ok car for me and when told yes bought it. The rest of that school year goes by uneventful. In May my prescription is unchanged. My sister having gone at the start of the school year doesn’t go this time. I don’t want the contact exam wanting to go back to glasses but my Mom insisted so I kept up the half and half.
I’m still doing the half glasses half contacts though my Mom insists I wear the contacts for my senior picture. I only needed one requirement that first semester to have all needed classes but school rules prohibit mid term graduations until this virus came along. I’m considering going to college about 200 miles away and if I do I will go to glasses full time and not even wear contacts except when I go home. I would have done that after 1 year of contacts except for my Mom nagging me about how I looked in glasses.
https://vision-and-spex.com/glasses-over-contacts-for-a-different-reason-t1668.html