Untitled post: I saw the title of

I saw the title of Antonio’s post the other day on bubbles.town, “I Couldn’t Live Without My Glasses”, and it intrigued me. > The first thing I do when I wake up isn’t checking my phone or making coffee. It’s putting on my glasses. This...

I saw the title of Antonio’s post the other day on bubbles.town, “I Couldn’t Live Without My Glasses”, and it intrigued me.

The first thing I do when I wake up isn’t checking my phone or making coffee. It’s putting on my glasses.

This was never me. I was the opposite. I could see my phone and other things up close, such as the alarm clock. Putting on my glasses was usually the second or third thing I did because I needed them to see at a distance.

Before cataract surgery, I was nearsighted and also had astigmatism. I could see things up close without glasses, but I needed my glasses to see clearly at a distance and for almost everything else. What Antonio wrote still struck a chord with me because I could relate to nearly every word in his post.

Cataract surgery completely changed that. My new intraocular lenses (IOLs) were set for distance, so I can now see far away without glasses. However, they cannot focus up close the way my natural lenses once could, which means I now need reading glasses for my phone, the clock, and anything else nearby. As for trying to read without them, forget it. My arms are not long enough.

I go at the end of this month to get a proper prescription for reading glasses. Having worn glasses for 41 of my 57 years, I do not mind wearing them. I also agree with Antonio:

It’s crazy to think how something so small could easily become the most important thing I own.

Antonio also wrote:

Most people fear losing their wallet or their phone. I fear losing my glasses. Replacing them isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s two weeks of depending on other people to drive me places, struggling through work, and navigating a world that’s permanently just out of focus.

Before cataract surgery, I could wholeheartedly relate to this. I broke my glasses once, and another time, when I was younger, I left them on top of the car after taking them off because they had fogged up. I did not realize what I had done until several minutes later.

Now that I have IOLs set for distance, losing or breaking my reading glasses would still be inconvenient, but it would no longer leave the whole world out of focus. I also no longer have to worry about my glasses fogging up when I am trying to see at a distance. That is another small change I have come to appreciate.

It is strange how a post like this can stir so many feelings in someone, but his did. That is probably because of my recent troubles with my eyes and the experience of being able to see everything in a completely new light, although still with some limitations.

Despite how important they are, they’re not something I think about once I put them on. I only notice them when I don’t have them on.

I could completely relate to this before cataract surgery. Now, however, it feels extremely strange not to wear glasses except when I am trying to read or see details up close.

Related: I wrote more about my cataract surgery in My Vision’s Big Comeback.