Susanne Remic is a primary school teacher, freelance writer and parenting blogger. She writes at Ghostwritermummy and Maternity Matters and in between all of that she regularly wins mummy of the year awards for running around after her two children, aged six and 19 months. This is her pregnancy blog: an online diary of her third pregnancy as she strives to overcome two difficult births, one angel child and one awkward toddler. Join Susanne as she shares every step of her journey from bump to baby!
Spectacles and sparkles
By Susanne Remic on 14 Sep 2011
This weekend I went to the optician, having finally admitted that perhaps I did not have perfect 20/20 vision anymore. In recent weeks I have found myself holding my phone or a book a little further away than usual so that I can re-focus my eyes and read comfortably.
I’ve noticed my own mum doing this too. I won’t lie. It was with a slightly reluctant step that I entered the opticians on Saturday. I don’t have anything against wearing glasses, let me assure you of that. It’s the cruel ageing process that I have such a problem with. Can’t Mother Nature let me deal with one thing at a time here? I already gave in to a couple of laughter lines and crow’s feet (despite the years of scrupulous moisturising and expensive creams, grrr).
I also admitted defeat to the fact that my waist will perhaps never again allow me to fit back into a size eight after my third child is born. But glasses? I always had such perfect vision...
It seems that I need glasses for reading and using the computer. It’s a very small prescription, I am assured. I found myself feeling absurdly smug that my long distance vision is ‘very good’ and the muscle control in my eyes is ‘excellent’. Despite this though, I still need glasses.
I don’t think I’m vain. I think that if I’m paying £200 for something that is going to be worn on my face, then it’s a task that deserves a lot of time devoted to it. I’m not sure the weary assistant and even wearier husband would agree though. I hope they didn’t nod yes just to move me along.
Oh goodness, what if I was rushed in the end? What if two hours trying on every single pair of frames in Boots is excessive and they were just afraid to tell me that in fact no glasses suit me at all? What if in their desperation, they decided to exclaim their devotion to the pair with sparkles on the sides just to keep me quiet and get me out into daylight once more?
I must take a deep breath. I’m panicking, you see. I’ve never worn appendage on my face before and I don’t want people to laugh at me. I nodded in agreement as the optician advised that for the first two weeks I must wear them as much as I can, and then I can wear them as and when I need to. I was secretly thinking that I would whip them off as soon as anyone I know comes around the corner...
Ok, so I’m over-reacting. But the fact that I need glasses now is more than a little bothersome for me. The optician wants to see me again in 12 months to review the situation as she believes that my eye-sight problems may be temporary and pregnancy related. This bothers me because given a choice, I would’ve gone for a different pregnancy related ailment. Like heart-burn. I’m sure Gaviscon doesn’t cost £200 a pop. She also indicated that my eye-sight problems may be degenerative, and I read this as you are getting old. Either way, it sucks.
My husband, despite being very supportive and despite having worn glasses for much of his life himself, has now taken to calling me Speccy. He has admitted though, that he thinks they suit me. I chose spectacles with sparkles that kind of match my eyes and hair colouring. At least, I think they are the ones I chose in the end. Perhaps by the time they arrive I won’t be able to see them anyway...
See also:
No comments 
Comments