“Shit, I don’t have time for this.” Laurie muttered under her breath as she read the note from Caitlyn’s teacher. The note was a suggestion from Mrs. O’Neill that Caitlyn might benefit from a vision exam, as recently she had not been able to see distance things as well as the other children in the class could.
Laurie knew that she had to make the time to take Caitlyn for an eye test. As much as it seemed to be a lot of bother to look after her daughter all by herself, 27 year old Laurie didn’t want it any other way. When she had discovered she was pregnant with Caitlyn the year she was 19, and still attending the community college that she eventually graduated from she had told Caitlyn’s father that she was pregnant. His reaction was not good, and he suggested that an abortion would be the best thing for everyone. But Laurie had been brought up to believe that an abortion should only be used to terminate a pregnancy if the life of the mother was in danger, or if the fetus was a result of a rape. Laurie refused to have an abortion, and she told Kyle that she would raise her child on her own. So, for the past 7 years Laurie had been both mother and father to the most beautiful, smartest daughter anyone could imagine. It didn’t bother Laurie that Caitlyn might need glasses, as over the past few years more and more kids seemed to be wearing them.
Laurie grabbed the phone book and found the section with Optometrists in it. Burke;
Ryan M. O.D., was the first listing she came across, so she grabbed her phone and dialed the number.
“Burke and Associates, Lynn speaking. How may I help you?” the lady said.
“Hi Lynn. This is Laurie Jacobson. My daughter Caitlyn was sent home with a note suggesting that she should have her eyes examined. I work every day, but I could get off early almost any day as long as the appointment was around 4 or later.” Laurie said.
“I can get you in on Thursday at 4:45pm. Would that work for you?” Lynn asked.
“That would be perfect. Thank you very much.” Laurie replied.
“What is her name and address and when was she born?” Lynn asked
Laurie gave Lynn the information, but was surprised when Lynn asked her when she had her last eye exam.
“I have never needed one. I see fine.” Laurie replied.
“You really should have your eyes checked as well. There are things like glaucoma that can destroy your eyesight without you even knowing that your eye pressure is too high.” Lynn replied.
“I can’t really afford it right now.” Laurie said.
“I understand. But Dr. Burke is a very nice person and he might give you a quick look see without any charge. I will mention to him that you have never had a pressure check.” Lynn said.
When Thursday came Laurie left work at 3:00pm and picked Caitlyn up from school. Then they took the bus downtown and walked to the address that Lynn had given her. They were there by 4:30, and Laurie signed Caitlyn in. Within a few minutes Lynn came and escorted Laurie and Caitlyn into a room filled with shelf after shelf of contact lenses and solution. On one of the tables was a machine and Lynn had Caitlyn sit down. Lynn adjusted the machine and had Caitlyn look into it. Finally Lynn was satisfied.
“We still have a few minutes before Dr. Burke will be ready for Caitlyn. Would you like me to give your eyes a quick check with the auto refractor Laurie?” Lynn asked.
“Sure, why not.” Laurie said and she sat at the machine.
The machine did a whole bunch of funny things. There was no eye chart to read, just a road with different objects on it. One eye was blacked out and then the objects became clear, then blurry, and finally it was repeated with the second eye. Then both eyes were open and the machine did the focusing thing again. Finally Lynn was satisfied.
“You said you have never had an eye exam Laurie?” Lynn asked.
“No, I haven’t. Why?” Laurie queried.
“The auto refractor shows you are a little bit nearsighted too.” Lynn replied.
“I’ve always been able to see just fine.” Laurie said.
“I will just mention this to Dr. Burke. He may want to double check the results from the machine.” Lynn said.
Lynn escorted Laurie and Caitlyn to a room with a big machine in it. Lynn had Caitlyn sit on the chair that had the machine in front of it, and Laurie sat in another chair. Soon the door opened and Dr. Burke came in. Laurie couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was gorgeous. Laurie couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Tall, slim, a rugged looking face with nice well trimmed blonde hair – a man she could only dream of.
“So, we are having a little trouble in school are we?” Dr Burke asked in a melodious voice.
“No, but the teacher thinks I can’t see very well.” Caitlyn responded.
“Let’s see if we can fix that problem.” Dr. Burke replied.
The doctor swung the machine over in front of Caitlyn’s face and the clicks began. Laurie was impressed. The doctor seemed to be taking his time and was very careful and thorough with the examination.
“Well Laurie, she is definitely a little nearsighted. She should get glasses. I would recommend that she wears them full time; however it is up to Caitlyn to decide how much of the time she wants to wear them. It won’t do any real harm if she only wears them when she needs to see distance. But it is a lot easier for her to just to put them on and leave them on.” Dr Burke told her.
“How bad are her eyes Doctor?” Laurie asked.
“They are about the same as yours are – maybe a little worse. I can’t really be sure until I examine your eyes.” Dr. Burke replied.
“My eyes aren’t bad.” Laurie protested.
“The machine says otherwise.” Dr. Burke replied
“But I can’t afford to have my eyes examined today.” Laurie stated emphatically.
“Just get in the chair. It is after 5, and I don’t have any more patients, so I will give you a two for the price of one deal today.” Dr. Burke said with a smile.
So Laurie sat in the chair. The first thing the doctor did was the puff test for glaucoma, and he told her that her pressure was normal. Then he slid the machine over in front of her eyes, and asked Laurie to look at the letters projected on the wall.
“But I can’t make them out.” Laurie protested.
“That is what you should be able to see clearly if you had 20/20 vision. Here is what the auto refractor suggested you needed.” Dr. Burke said as he clicked some lenses in the machine.
“Oh my goodness! Everything is so clear now doctor.” Laurie said.
After he was finished Dr. Burke wrote out 2 prescription slips and gave them to Laurie She glanced at them, but didn’t understand what the numbers meant.
“Caitlyn’s says OD -2.00 x -0.50 x 85 and OS -1.75 x -0.75 x 95. Mine says OD -2.50 and OS -2.25 x -0.50 x 90. What does that mean?” Laurie asked.
“The OD stands for right eye and the OS stands for left eye. The first number is for the spherical correction and the second number is the astigmatic correction. Caitlyn had a little astigmatism in both eyes, while you have one eye that doesn’t have astigmatism and one that does. As far as the total correction goes you are both very close to having the same prescription.” Dr. Burke explained.
“So we both need glasses. Darn it, I can’t afford 2 pairs of glasses right now.” Laurie said.
“I don’t sell glasses. I do a big business in contact lenses, but the one hour optical shops killed the chances of a small store making money from eyeglasses. So, I am going to tell you where you can order 2 pairs of glasses very inexpensively in your prescription. With shipping about the cheapest you and Caitlyn can get 2 pairs of glasses for would be around $20.00.” Dr. Burke said.
“That is $20.00 each pair?” asked Laurie.
“No, that is for both pairs. But you might not want the cheapest ones. Here, let me show you on my computer.” Dr. Burke said.
He went to a website that he had bookmarked. There was page after page of glasses, starting as low as $6.95 a pair for frame and lenses. Laurie couldn’t believe it. She saw a nice frame that she liked and asked if that pair would look good on her. Dr. Burke replied that they would look nice on her face. Caitlyn liked the same frame, but required a smaller size. Finally, with the doctor’s help Laurie ordered 2 pairs of glasses complete with anti reflective coating for $36.00. She paid Dr. Burke the $65.00 for Caitlyn’s eye exam, and they got ready to leave.
“I don’t know how I can thank you doctor. For a single mother the idea of buying two pairs of glasses was way beyond my budget. You have helped me beyond belief." Laurie said.
“I didn’t realize that you were a single mom, but I am glad I could help.” Dr. Burke replied.
Laurie and Caitlyn left the doctor’s office and took the bus home. Laurie was deep in thought. For one thing, Dr. Burke was a gorgeous hunk of a man and he didn’t seem to be wearing a wedding ring. And then there was the glasses thing. Laurie had not realized that her eyesight wasn’t as good as it had been when she was younger. It was going to be hard to accept the fact that not only did Caitlyn need glasses, but Laurie did as well. Really, it wasn’t surprising that her eyes had gone bad. Laurie worked for a law firm, and she was the one who did all the legal research. She spent hours pouring over the law books looking for precedents that could be used in a trial. The only thing really surprising was that she hadn’t noticed her vision deteriorating. But when she had asked Dr. Burke about it he had simply said that the onset of myopia is a slow process, and a lot of people don’t really notice that their vision is deteriorating.
Three weeks later there was a parcel at the door when she and Caitlyn got home. Caitlyn was excited to see her new glasses, but Laurie was filled with trepidation. She couldn’t make Caitlyn wait another second though, so they opened the package together at the kitchen table. Inside, as expected, were 2 glasses cases. One case was gray, the other was pink, and Caitlyn hoped that her glasses were in the pink case. Laurie simply said that Caitlyn could have the pink one, and she would take the gray. But when she opened the pink case Laurie could tell that the glasses were too small for her face, so she unwrapped them and helped Caitlyn put them on. Then she opened the gray case and slipped her own glasses from the plastic bag. The cleaning cloth was wrapped around the lenses and one of the temples was in protective plastic as well, so she unwrapped the cloth, and slid the plastic off the leg. Then she slipped the glasses onto her face.
The difference was unreal. Everything in the kitchen jumped into sharp focus. Laurie realized that Caitlyn was also experiencing the same thing as she was.
“How do you like your glasses Kay?” Laurie asked.
“They are great Mommy. I can see everything.” Caitlyn replied excitedly.
“Do they feel all right on you?” Laurie asked.
“They feel pretty good Mommy. I really like them.” Caitlyn replied.
“Well if they feel too tight or anything we can go to see Dr. Burke. He said he would adjust them for us if we needed it.” Laurie said.
Laurie’s glasses felt just fine on her face. She really wanted Caitlyn to say that she needed hers adjusted so they had an excuse to see Dr. Burke, but it didn’t look as if that would be necessary.
Another month went by. Caitlyn had adapted to wearing glasses easier than Laurie had, as Caitlyn put hers on first thing in the morning and left them on until it was time for bed. Laurie still tried to leave hers in the case until she got to work, but it was getting harder and harder to do that. She was starting to hate the fact that she didn’t have clear vision without her glasses. Finally Laurie decided that she wasn’t going to fight it any longer, and one morning she put her glasses on right after she did her eye makeup, and she left them on the rest of the day. After that day Laurie wore her glasses full time.
It had been about 6 months since Laurie and Caitlyn had gotten their glasses. They were at a fast food restaurant at the mall, and Laurie realized that even with her glasses on she could not read the menu board. Dr. Burke had mentioned that they might need a small increase after they wore glasses for a while, so Laurie asked Caitlyn if she could read the menu. When Caitlyn said she couldn’t Laurie realized that it was time to go back to see the doctor.
“Caitlyn’s prescription has climbed a little more than yours has Laurie. It is a good thing that you came in now, before she started having problems at school.” Dr. Burke said.
“How bad are her eyes now Doctor?” Laurie asked. “Caitlyn needs a pretty sizeable increase. Her prescription now is OD -4.00 x -1.00 x 85 and OS – 3.75 x -1.25 x 100. That is quite a jump, but nothing to really be worried about.” Dr. Burke said.
“What about my eyes now. I know they are worse.” Laurie said.
“Yes, they are. You have gone up to -3.75D in your right eye and to -3.50 x -0.50 x 90 in your left. But you probably won’t have any increases for quite a while. We find that sometimes after a person starts wearing glasses they need a pretty good increase around the 6 month or a year mark, and then it settles down.” Dr. Burke said.
“Can you give me the name of that website where we ordered our glasses from again Dr. Burke?” Laurie asked.
“I can do better than that. If you and Caitlyn will have dinner with me I will take the time to help you order your new glasses before we leave the office. I have a couple more patients to see this afternoon, but I will let you use my computer to look at the frames on the website.” Dr. Burke said.
“I would like that Dr. Burke.” Laurie said.
“Since we are going out tonight I think you should call me Ryan.” Dr. Burke said.
“I can do that Ryan.” Laurie said with a grin.
Laurie and Caitlyn looked at the various glasses on the website. Caitlyn wanted a large black frame, because some of the other girls in her class had glasses like that. Laurie didn’t like the appearance but since Caitlyn was the one who was going to be wearing them Laurie gave in. For her own glasses Laurie selected a rimless pair. Finally Ryan was finished for the day. He looked at their choices and approved of Laurie’s selection. But when it came to Caitlyn’s large emo type frames he told her that with the prescription in the large frame her lenses might look a little thick. But Caitlyn wasn’t deterred, so Ryan placed the order for their new glasses. Then they went to a nearby restaurant where they had dinner. After dinner Ryan drove them home. Laurie invited Ryan in for coffee, but he told her he had to get going, so they decided that a rain check was in order.
When the new glasses showed up a couple of weeks later Laurie loved her new rimless ones. Caitlyn wasn’t as thrilled with her emo glasses, because as Ryan had said, the lenses did look pretty thick. But she could see quite well through the lenses, so the thickness became less of an issue than the fact that she could see well when wearing them.
Ryan called Laurie the day after their new glasses came in and Laurie agreed to go to a movie with him. Ryan told her that she looked amazing in her new glasses, so she was pretty pumped over that. After this date there were a lot more dates, and Ryan became a very regular and welcome visitor at the townhouse that Laurie and Caitlyn rented.
Laurie really liked Ryan. Not only was he drop dead gorgeous, but he was also a very kind person as evidenced by the fact that he examined her eyes for free the first time they met. He seemed quite knowledgeable about most issues, and they could carry on a spirited conversation about almost anything. Laurie was hoping that Ryan would ask her to marry him. He was very good with Caitlyn, who was now 9 going on 16. The only setback was when Ryan spotted Caitlyn squinting at something through her glasses, which she now wore pushed tightly to the bridge of her nose.
“She needs stronger glasses Laurie.” Ryan said.
“But she just got those a year ago. You said she should be good for a couple of years Ryan.” Laurie said accusingly.
“I know I did Laurie. But no one can really predict how myopia progresses. And the fact of the matter is that Caitlyn isn’t seeing very well anymore. Let me take her down to the office tomorrow and I will give her another exam.” Ryan said.
“I guess, if you really think her eyes have gotten worse again,” Laurie said reluctantly.
So, on Sunday morning Ryan stopped by and picked Laurie and Caitlyn up. They drove downtown and Ryan put Caitlyn in the chair in front of the phoropter. He projected the letters onto the wall, but Caitlyn couldn’t make any of them out. Then the clicks started, and finally Caitlyn could see all the letters again.
“How about you Laurie? It has been a year since your last exam, so do you want me to check you again?” Ryan asked.
“Why not? We are here anyway.” Laurie said.
“Laurie could read most of the letters with her present glasses. But Ryan knew that she had guessed on a couple of them, so he removed her glasses and fine tuned her prescription.”
“That’s not bad. You could go a while longer before you get new glasses, but you would benefit from a new pair if you got them now. You have gone up -0.50D in each eye and your astigmatism in the left eye hasn’t changed.” Ryan said.
“I am not so interested in me. I know Caitlyn’s prescription went up, so tell me how bad her eyes are now?” Laurie asked.
“You are right. She had a pretty decent increase again. Now she needs OD – 5.75 x -1.50 x 80 and OS -5.50 x -1.75 x 100. And she could also use a little base out prism, because her eyes are not tracking together like they should be.” Ryan said.
“That is pretty bad for a 9 year old isn’t it?” Laurie asked.
“It’s not good, that is for sure. I would like to have seen less of an increase. But she is correctable to 20/20, so that is good.” Ryan said.
Again they ordered new glasses from the same website. Laurie had been wearing her rimless glasses for a year, so she decided that she wanted to go to a plastic frame with wide temples, and she selected a burgundy pair that Ryan was convinced would look stunning on her. It was explained to Caitlyn that her new prescription was much too strong for her to order the same emo glasses that she was wearing, so Caitlyn chose a pair of rectangular plastic frames with wide temples similar to her mother’s selection. The website recommended hi index lenses for Caitlyn’s prescription, however Ryan suggested that they should just stick with the regular cheaper plastic lenses, because there would be lots of time for the hi index lenses in the future.
That evening Ryan proposed to Laurie. She wanted to accept in the worst way, but first she asked Ryan if he was willing to be a real father to Caitlyn, even if her eyesight got a lot worse.
“Can you think of anyone better to be a father to a young lady with poor eyesight than an eye doctor?” Ryan asked.
“Well, no, but I just wanted to make sure that you would stick around even if her eyes got really bad.” Laurie said.
“Her eyesight is already quite poor for her age. And you are correct in thinking that it will likely get a lot worse before her progression stops. And, with the prism that she now requires she is going to be stuck wearing glasses for the rest of her life. But Caitlyn is a great kid, and I love her almost as much as I love you, so I will certainly be there for her forever.” Ryan said with conviction.
The wedding was set to be a year away. The time went so fast it was like a blink of the eye to Laurie, A few weeks before the wedding day Laurie asked Ryan if he could get her contacts to wear for the wedding, so he examined her eyes again, and fitted her with contacts. Her prescription had again increased another -0.50D in each eye, so a new pair of glasses was also ordered. Caitlyn did not escape without an increase, and her new glasses were going to be OD -7.00 x -2.00 x 85 and OS -7.00 x -2.00 x 100 with 5 degrees base out prism. Again Ryan suggested that the regular plastic lenses would be suitable, so this time Caitlyn’s glasses came in with a flat front on the lenses. The lenses were fairly thick looking, and they stuck out behind the plastic frame by about 1/4”, but Caitlyn was happy that she could see much better in time for the wedding.
The wedding was perfect/ Laurie felt beautiful in her long white dress. Caitlyn was one of the bridesmaids, and she looked almost as pretty as her mother in her wine colored dress. She had chosen a white frame this time for her glasses, and they did stand out, but the light flashing on the thick lenses actually made her glasses look like jewelry on her face.
Ryan and Laurie and Caitlyn moved to a new home in a subdivision that is close enough to public transit that none of them need to travel by car very often. Laurie is still working for the law firm, and the constant close work she does is still taking its toll on her eyesight, as she has continued to require a small increase in her prescription almost every year. Ryan sent Caitlyn to a specialist who confirmed his suspicion that Caitlyn had a serious case of progressive myopia, but other than needing thicker glasses every year Caitlyn can still see quite well. Now that her prescription has climbed into the high teens Caitlyn has been getting hi index lenses for her glasses, but even with the high index her glasses are pretty thick, and the outer edges of her lenses are shaved off to allow the temples to close.
Ryan and Laurie have had 2 more children, a boy and a younger sister for Caitlyn. They are very happy in life, and Laurie will never forget the two for one offer Ryan made her.
Specs4ever June 2012