I just realised today - it’s all been down to my new glasses…

As a kid, I hated wearing spectacles.  But I used to find it hard to read the blackboard without them, even from the front of the class. Wearing them for contact sports was not an option and for tennis and squash, it was so inconvenient.  At 18 years old when taking driving test, my biggest concern was being able to read the number plate of a random vehicle 10 meters away!

Years back I considered having laser surgery, but never dared to do it.  I know that these days they say it is a simple, low risk procedure.  Despite many friends saying it’s the best thing they have done, I just never felt it was worth the risk.

When the boys were toddlers, my glasses were up there with toy dinosaurs, Lego and super heroes on their favourite toys list!

Moving to Spain there was a new dynamic  to contend with – the sun.  The light along with the warmth here is Andalucia is magnificent.

However, inside I wore normal specs, outside I had to put on prescription sun glasses.    I am not a 'man bag' type of guy, so carrying phone, second pair of glasses, keys etc was always inconvenient. Specs on, specs off, specs on, specs off it went on throughout the day!

So my next upgrade was specs with light sensitive lenses.  This was a breakthrough and one less thing to carry so far more convenient.  The only issue is that whist they darken quickly in the sun, they take a while to go clear again.  It’s a bit awkward and comes across as somewhat rude when stepping inside, meeting someone for the first time and not being able to make clear initial eye contact.

Over the years I got used to wearing spectacles.  Now, I actually enjoy it. I have tried disposable contact lenses and got on with them fine, but now glasses actually feel a part of me – almost like something is missing if I am not wearing them.

My wife has always said glasses suit me – her way of saying I look hot when wearing them!!!

Actually the only time I find glasses inconvenient now is when playing pool with my mate Eamon.  As I look over the cue down the line of the shot naturally my eyes look over my glasses.  It means the object ball is blurred, so I inevitably miss the game clinching shot!  He beats 8/10 times but we always have a laugh and put the world right.  I do miss that just now.

Over the last couple of years, I noticed my eyes changing quite significantly.  I need different specs for driving, different specs for computer use, no specs for reading a book or reading on my mobile, possibly 2 pairs of specs for the golf course – one for hitting the ball and another for seeing where it has gone (loooong range!).

So it was back to the inconvenience of multiple pairs of glasses! There was also the frustration standing on the first tee realising that I had left my long range glasses in the car!

Enter variable focal spectacles – light sensitive of course.

I had toyed with the idea for a while, but finally bit the bullet six months ago and went for top spec specs (couldn’t resist that!). Basically they have the widest field of vision at all focal points.  Still I was told that they would feel a bit strange at first and that the eyes need to adjust. When I first put them on, steps seemed to bend forwards and fall away to the sides!  But within a few days it got easier and soon just felt normal and so much more convenient.

As a family we are all pretty competitive even with each other but in a good spirited way of course. I´ve played more table tennis this past month than I have in ages, but the boys have stepped it up to a different level.  I just haven’t been able to focus on the ball and blamed it on having 101 thoughts running through my head.  It was starting to get frustrating to play at such a sub-standard level (constantly being beaten by them)!

Today for some reason, tried on my old standard lens specs .  The boys were outside playing table tennis, watched for a while and then joined in.  Wow, what a difference - I was centring the shots and hitting with precision.

I just realised today - it’s all been down to my new glasses!!!

Keep safe,

Anthony

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