My son wants glasses. He wants glasses badly. He has wanted glasses since he was 3 or 4. When he was 2 he wore glasses in an attempt to correct his strabismus (lazy eye). He was pretty good at wearing them. He wore them for about a year. He had surgery just before his 4th birthday and the glasses were no longer needed.
Since then he has borrowed my glasses, my late father's reading glasses, my mom's glasses, punched out sunglasses, and any other pair of glasses this child could get his hand on. He tried telling me he couldn't read well and needed glasses. I had him tested. Then I asked him why he thought he needed glasses. He said when his eyes were closed he couldn't see the words. I felt like a dope for taking him to the eye doctor, especially since his vision post surgery was 20/10. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt. His last visit to the eye doctor was in March. He did his best at all the different diagnostic tests. "Mom, do you think he'll finally give me glasses?" "I don't know, Blue, we'll just have to see what the doctor says. But please do your best and we'll see." "Well, Mommy you wear glasses, Ama wears glasses, Grumpa needed glasses, so do you think I will need glasses." "Well Blue, I was about your age when I first needed glasses. But Aunt Roo was much older. Let's just wait for the doctor." We went together. I needed new contacts. Wearing my glasses is starting to inhibit certain activities in life, so I wanted to try contacts again.
Blue saw the doctor first. He was excited. The doctor showed him a picture of his retina. He was even more excited. But alas, his vision was as perfect as ever. His eye is turning a bit again and he is showing signs of eye allergies. But he doesn't need glasses. He was a little disappointed, but the picture of his retina helped. He thought that was pretty cool. Then it was my turn.
Blue waited patiently. He was intrigued by all the equipment the optometrist used. He wanted to know if he looked as silly as I did with the equipment in front of my face.
The assistant came and brought me the contacts to try on. Blue was intrigued. "Those look cool! What are you going to do with them." "Well I am going to pry open my eye and stick them on my eyeball." His eyes widened. (It's been at least 2 or 3 years since I wore contacts so Blue doesn't really remember too well. But he never watched me put them in before.) "That. Is. So. Cool. Can I watch?" Sure. "They look like little bowls. Is that the shape of your eyeball?" "Yes" "Wow."
Later that night I was getting ready to take out my contacts and put my glasses back on. "What are you doing?" "Taking out my contacts and cleaning them." "You have to take them off." "Well I don't want them to stick to my eyeball forever or get an infection." "Cool. Can I watch?" "Sure." "They look like little bowls. Can I touch it?" "Sorry dude, your hands aren't too clean." "Please Mom! I'll be careful." "Sorry. But when I have to change the lenses at the end of the month you can play with my old ones." "Promise? That. Would. Be. So. Cool. Promise?" "Sure, Blue. I'd just throw them out anyway." "Why are you rubbing them?" "To clean them." "You mean like to get eye boogers off?" "Something like that." "Cool. Now what?" "I put them in this clean case with solution to kill the germs." "Kill the germs? Cool." And so it went each night. Until it was the next month. "Hey Mom, are you getting new contacts today." (For certain things he is really good at remembering dates. Like his birthday.) "Yes I am." "Did you remember?" "Remember what Blue?" "You said I could play with the old contacts. You promised." "Sure dude but promise me one thing, you won't put them on your eyeballs." "I can't?" "No, just like you can't see through Mommy's glasses, you won't be able to see through these contacts. Besides it's gross." "But I can do anything else with them, right?" "Except try and put them on the dog's eyeballs. Dogs don't need glasses or contacts." Big sigh. "Okay." So out came my old contacts. At first he didn't want them as he thought they felt slimy. Then he dropped one and had fun with the flashlight trying to find it. "Hey Mom, if you ever lose a contact, let me know. I can find it with the flashlight." "Sure Blue, whatever you say." "These are really cool. They look like bowls. And they fit on my fingers." He then proceeded to make a face out of his hand. Complete with my old contacts as eyeballs.
He's already asking when I'm going to change my lenses as he has "plans" for the next pair.
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