From four eyes to two (Update)

Today, I embarked on a great adventure. Actually, I just went to the optometrist to get new glasses and... wait for it... contacts. Although it isn't the first time I've worn contacts, it has been four years. Apparently they've done a lot with contacts since I stopped wearing them. For instance, I stopped wearing them because they exacerbated my issue with dry eyes. But Acuvue Oasys lenses take care of that. I have heard of Oasys lenses before, but I was skeptical as to their effectiveness. But I'm here to tell you that Acuvue Oasys lenses (I'm not getting a kickback from them, but I have my fingers crossed that they'll give me a few free boxes if I keep plugging their name) really are as good as they sound. My eyes were not dry for one second of the four hours I wore them.

Sadly, there is no contact lens to prevent or alleviate the headache that new wearers inevitably get. I first got contacts when I was 13 and wore them for eight years. So it's been 12 years (for those of you not to swift at math) since I first wore contacts. I had forgotten how awful it is adjusting to them. Your eyes have a terrible time trying to focus. One eye can see better than the other. You feel the eye strain that wearing the wrong prescription causes and you wonder if your optometrist knows what he or she is doing. Then after you take them out you feel instant relief, other than the lingering tension headache.

What's even better is that I went into the office with a headache, including eye pain. So I had to go through the paperwork (new doctor), the eye exam and adjusting to contacts. Needless to say, my head and eyes are not happy with me. They are actually screaming at me right now to stop writing this blog and to do something that will give them a break. But I am hard pressed to think of an activity, other than, where I won't need my eyes. I could take a walk, but not with my eyes closed. And I think the sun and wind will make my eyes unhappier. Obviously reading a book is out of the question, which is a shame because I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. Watching a movie will probably be just as bad as using my computer since I'll be staring at a screen.

But I've gotten off-topic. I meant to write this blog so I could examine what getting contacts means as far as my self-identity is concerned. For four years, almost the entire time I've lived in Denton, I have been "that girl who wear cat's eye glasses." Now, there are several girls in Denton who wear cat's eyes, but I think to most people who aren't friends we might as well be the same girl (and even friends associate me with my glasses). Or at least we all fit in the same box. But even considering the fact that I am not alone in my choice of eyewear, my glasses make me feel like me.

Perhaps I have associated my cat's eyes with my being because I have grown a lot over the past four years. I have found my path in life- journalism. And my skills as a journalist have improved drastically. I have also become more comfortable in my skin and am on a path to self-discovery (pardon my new-ageiness, but it's true). I have also finally found a man I can be in a healthy, committed relationship with. All of these things have happened to me while I was wearing the same glasses. It may seem silly of me, but I see my glasses as not only an extension of my face but an extension of myself.

So when I think about it, getting rid of my cat's eyes was probably a good move. Maybe it will help me expand my idea of myself, or at least stop identifying myself by my glasses. I am a multifaceted woman. It would be a shame to pigeonhole myself.

Update: I decided to add some pictures of myself in contacts. For anyone who doesn't know me and is reading this (creepy), or anyone who knew me before I wore glasses, this may not matter to you. But you can still enjoy the pretty pictures, yes?



On a side note, I should use a different editor and fancy-up my blog. This layout looks kind of lame. But that will come in time. Also, I was too lazy to resize the pictures, so if you click on them you have a photo big enough for your desktop! But I'm guessing only a stalker would resort to that.