Taking My Vision For Granted

Getting Older Sucks

I’ll admit that until recently, I was guilty of taking my vision for granted. I’ve always had 20/20 vision so it was never something that was in the forefront of my thoughts or concerns. I’ll even admit to having gone about ten years without an eye exam. Insurance was part of the reason, but again, I could see perfectly well, so I wasn’t concerned.

And then one day in my early 40’s, I was trying to draw some minute detail and what I was looking at was blurry. I kept rubbing at my eyes, trying to clear my vision and it would clear for a moment or two and then there I’d be…blinking and rubbing at my eyes again wondering what the heck was going on with my vision. I realized then that while I’d still been able to read books without any trouble, that I did have issues with trying to read very fine print, like on a prescription bottle. It never even dawned on me that for some time I’d been holding things farther away from my face in order to read things with smaller font until I actually caught myself in the act of doing it. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

“Oh my God…I’m doing what my parents do!!”

It wasn’t long afterwards that I found myself sitting in an optometrist’s office reading eye charts through that contraption with all the different lenses, deciding which one looked more clear…#1 or #2. The diagnosis was pretty routine for them, but almost devastating for me. Age related macular degeneration. In other words…old eyes. Had I really spent my entire youth taking my vision for granted? Yes. Yes, I had.

The doc reassured me that I wasn’t going blind. It was just part of the normal aging process and that it would get worse for a little while and then stabilize. He asked how old my parents were when they started needing glasses for reading and such. Turns out, I was following almost exactly in their footsteps…mid to late 40’s for them. The likely culprit for macular degeneration hitting me a bit earlier is technology. Ours is the age of staring at computer screens and smartphones for the majority of each and every day. Do I take the recommended breaks every 20 minutes to rest the eyes? No. Does anyone?

So glasses have become part of my drawing table. The doc basically told me to use them as needed. Generally, I don’t need them to read a book, but I might use them if I’m reading for extended periods of time. I should use them when I’m on the computer, which is most of the day. Normally, I don’t because I can see that just fine. I tend to “forget” that illuminated screens cause eye strain. I am a faithful eyeglass wearer when I draw though, because I really have no choice about that. I just can’t see well enough to execute the fine detail that goes into my portraits without them.

My overall eye health is excellent and for that I’m grateful. The unfortunate part about taking my vision for granted is that it was a real kick in the pants when it caught up to me. I’ll be 48 this December, but in my head I still feel like I’m 35, if not younger. I eat clean. Really clean. Just one cheat meal per week. I exercise five days each week. I drink LOTS of water…anywhere from 80 ounces to a full gallon every day. But despite my best efforts to stave off the effects of aging, there are just some things that cannot be helped. I can guarantee you though, that I won’t be taking my vision for granted anymore or any other aspect of my health. Yes, we are all getting older. And yes, humanity’s mortality rate is 100%. There’s no getting around it. But in my opinion, we don’t have to hurry things along. I will continue doing what I’m doing, eating clean, being a gym rat, drinking my water, getting enough sleep, meditating, and visiting my doctor regularly for my check-ups. Age will eventually take me, but it’s going to have to work for it!