Today I set the font on my Twitter app to Ariel, size 16.
I feel no shame.
The other day I flipped through a paperback my husband was reading and said, "How can you read this? I'd need a magnifying glass." He laughed. We looked at the book I'd been reading, a hardback with enormous words, and my Sony Reader that always has the text size set to medium or large. On the computer I bloat all my documents to 150% as soon as I open them, or they're blocks of mush. I've even given "constructive criticism" to bloggers when their text size or colours make it too difficult to read their writing.
This from the girl who created her first site with Geocities, with a busy dark blue background and font size set to 10.
When I first needed glasses, at seven or eight years old, the optometrist said it might have something to do with all the reading I did. How embarrassing. Spectacles were not going to improve my nerdy image. I hid them in my desk at school (beside my many books) and tried to squint at the chalkboard until finally giving up because the chalkboard was just a green blur without my glasses.
That first optometrist said my eyes might even adjust and fix themselves, as long as I wore the corrective lenses.
Sure, sir, whatever you say.
They haven't. In high school I got contact lenses, which hid the problem and allowed me to spend hours every year putting the lenses in, taking them out, and shaking them all about (aka cleaning them.) And it looks like I'm going to need some other kind of optical correction soon, too.
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| Maybe this? |
And this time I don't care. I have a thesis to write, as well as several hundred related articles to read, beloved fiction to write, fascinating fiction to read, and a few road signs I don't want to miss. I guess I've sacrificed my eyesight for my favourite pass-times. As long as they don't stop making magnifying glasses, I don't regret it. I won't ever regret it.
At least my other senses are right on.
Sorry, what? What did you say? I can't hear you when you mumble.
Photos: Magnified by Jake Bouma, at the lighthouse again by shoothead, & Kinlea's binoculars by wonderfully complex on flickr
I feel your pain!
ReplyDeleteMy eye sight was first investigated in my first year of highschool and found to be bloody blind (ha - I already knew that!) Rather than put me straight into glasses, Mum got me contact lenses which I wore day in day out for close to 20 years.
When I started doing lots of computer work - I'd occassionally wear glasses (having finally bitten the bullet and got a pair) and then at uni found I needed to wear my glasses more, and lenses less. Now I don't even own a pair of contact lenses.
My prescription had to be altered for the first time the last set of glasses that I got - my eyes had held out the same for a long long time. Now I AM legally blind at -6.0.
I love my glasses... though I do admit... it IS time to get a new pair - the lenses are so badly scratched it is embarrassing. And on 150% for docs... now I'm doing so much writing and editing on the computer - that is my normal setting.
We could also mentioned we're not getting any younger... but that would just be plain wrong!
150% is my normal setting, too. Yesterday, after hours of work, I went to 175%. *wince*
ReplyDeleteHey, you're only as old as you feel! So, I'm somewhere around twenty! Unfortunately, my eyes are nearing retirement...
I like my visual aids (considering that my last pair ended up in the bottom of a river when out with family a few weeks ago).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I haven't tried contacts. There is something about poking yourself in the eye that I can't do.
Adam B
Adam - contact lenses saved my life as a teenager and I still like wearing them everyone now and again. Pregnancy seemed to change a lot of things - and my eyes was one. They dry out too much and contacts aren't brilliant to wear any more. Plus all the chemicals.
ReplyDeleteLosing my glasses is my greatest fear - considering I can't see a hand being waved a few inches from a face without them.
If I were to ask to be granted very mild super powers it would be normal vision. That would be super!
Yeah, it's a bit difficult to accept. I've needed reading glasses for about 7 years and still don't were them all the time. Mostly for small text (I can tell it's too small when I have to hold the paper back farther than my arms are long).
ReplyDeleteI wear glasses and expand my computer screen too. It's amazing how much easier Ariel is to read than Times New Roman! That's also why I own a Kindle - being able to resize my reading material is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI've also had macular degeneration for about 15 years now. It wouldn't be much of a problem if I'd gotten it at the average age of 70, but I was diagnosed with it at 40. To add insult to injury, 2 yrs ago I was diagnosed with glaucoma. One way or the other, eventually my eyesight will be toast.
Hey Jen... Gosh, now I feel bad. I think my blog may be difficult to read. My wife thinks so.
ReplyDeleteAs for me? I'm the opposite... I have my resolution so high that everything on my laptop seems super small.
~Peace!
Jodi, you make me laugh: regular eyesight *is* super. :)
ReplyDeleteAdam, my husband always cringes when I start digging around for my contact lenses. I wonder what it is, that some people are fine with touching their eyes, and others? No way.
Actually Anthony your blog is just fine to read. It could be a better colour, sure, but at least it's in a sans-serif font and the lines are spaced out enough. And honestly, I love how it looks to have grey text on black with very high resolution... I just can't read it. ;)
Imo corrective lenses never correct anything, just make it easier to live with the problem.But at least glasses can be stylish now too... :)
ReplyDeleteNice post!