I come from a family whose eyesight has served them well all their young adult life, at least as far as I’m aware, certainly my parents didn’t get spectacles until they reached their mid to late forties, maybe even later, and none of us 4 children required such things in our youth or childhood.
Much to my disappointment.
I thought glasses were great, largely I suspect due to the perceived increase in intelligence they portrayed. Such childhood notions were dispelled along with those of the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus by the wanton display of stupidity I later witnessed in both spectacle wearers and non-wearers alike, but in spite of this, the desire to own a pair remained.
By way of proof I submit the following somewhat embarrassing picture of the author as a 20year old sporting a pair of tortoiseshell frames containing nothing but plain glass ‘uv filtered’ for her protection [coughs]. I believe this was taken Christmas of1988.
I was told I had the nearest thing to perfect eyesight anyone ever gets.
Colour me a touch disappointed.
Fast forward to 2004 and the beginning of my career as a web developer and deep abiding love for my laptop, then further forward to 2009 and the beginnings of a niggle about how things were looking out of my right eye. So I took myself off to avail myself of a free medicare provided in Australia (oh, how I love national health) and sure enough, the years of abuse at the screen of my computer have taken their toll. I am long sighted, and have an astigmatism!! Lucky me!!
So, now I’m the proud owner of the following spectacles – and I heart them quite a lot, though it’s taking rather longer to get used to them than I’d like…
So, do you wear specs? How long for? How bad were your first pair?? Links to pictures in the comments VERY welcome!!!
Actually I do relate to your wanting specs from a young age – I did too, and am fortunate (!) to come from short-sighted stock. I did though, as I was a weird kid, decide to help nature on its way by staring at the sun lots. Doh! Have worn specs since age 9, in my late 20s I got contacts and realised that I had spent 20 years hiding behind my specs. After 10 or so years of lenses I’m now thinking about going back to specs, but I want to wait till I have enough money to get a really fancy pair (possibly like yours, though with my colouring the thick black frames don’t always look good). Luckily for me all childhood pictures are in storage, so no linky :)
Ooh very nice… mine are a bit like yours actually. I come from a family of blindies! My brother had glasses from the age of 3… and my mother recounts getting glasses at 9 (the first time anyone thought to check her eyesight) and suddenly it became clear to her why she never understood anything on the blackboard before. Dad’s not much better.
I managed to stave off the specs until I was about 12 (my mam was fanatical about us all having regular eye tests) but since my glasses were so weak I hardly wore them (and lost them frequently) I started wearing them all the time in my late teens and they were awful huge round one, and my eyesight had deteriorated quite a lot since. I wear my glasses all the time… I’ve chickened out of getting contacts a few times… the last time I tried my eyes were irritated they could put them in. I’m ok with glasses. While I wouldn’t say I love them as much as you, it doesn’t bother me to wear them, especially since I now get nice designer ones (my current pair are prada)… although sometimes, particularly when I find myself in an evening dress, I wish I didn’t have to wear them… which is why I make those contacts appointments once every two years or so!!
I’m short-sighted and this can be a plus, especially in the gym changing room/swimming pool when I find myself less concerned about how I appear fooling myself with ‘if I can’t see them, they can’t see me’… it’s also saved me from the horrorific sight of old men wearing almost see-through speedos… I would NEVER have laser-eye surgery!
I was rooting through old pictures recently and saw my various HUGE glasses… one day I might scan them in!
Very, very nice!
I got glasses in 1st or 2nd year [my memory is shot] of uni… I was amazed when I put them on and realised objects in the distance did not have to be a bit blurry: amazing how you become used to such things.
Great post Dee!
I got my first pair of glasses at the emotionally traumtic age of 5, where I can still remember classmates call me “Four eyes”..hehe!
My first pair were a wondeful piece of work, including an assortment of 5 colours, including a bar across the top (much like a pair of aviators!). Unfortunately I don’t have any online evidence for you, so you’ll have to use your imagination!
Hi Dee – followed a link here from Teh Awesome One’s blog (aka Kelley) and am looking around thinking … this place looks nice…. this chick has style AND is studying (like me) AND has awesome specs (also like me although my first pair were enormous, heavy 80’s style things that made me look like an owl … now they are rectangular maroon and hip).
got my first pair at 5 … got my second pair at 12 … still got ’em … don’t know where they are except they’re in the shack somewhere … by which you can see that they are no longer entirely necessary … I’ve gone from slightly long sighted with a minor astigmatism in the left eye to no astigmatism and essentially plain glass, slightly short sighted in the right eye … changed the glass not the glasses as new frames too flippin’ expensive (even on private health) and I quite like my round tortoiseshell glasses … which are actually made of such flexible plastic they have had a car tyre go over them and survived …. I guess I’ll find them unpack ….
lol! Great post! And I LUV the new glasses. I wear glasses all of the time!! I
I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 11 or 12 and have hated it since then. If I could have anything, it would be laser surgery on my eyes, if only to be able to take my pick of the new season glam sunnies that come out with boring regularity.
I love sunglasses but prescription sunnies cost so much money!
I love those glasses Aunty Dee :D
Your 1988 glasses were waaaaaaaay more trendy than my first pair c1989. I’ll get Mother to hunt out a photo, they were HIDEOUS!!!
I’m currently on my 4th (and 5th if you count the sunnies) frames since 1989… 20 years of specs. I don’t really know what I look like without them, ’cause I can’t see myself terribly well without LOL.