I became a girl who wore glasses when I was just a little thing, about 7 years old, if my memory serves me correctly — and it’s possible that it doesn’t as that was a long time ago.
I always had to go to Charlotte to an eye specialist as my vision problem was not something that could be treated by the doctors in the small rural town where I lived. They were so bad that I even had surgery on my eyes at one point.
I always hated these doctor trips as they included a lot of waiting, which was pretty boring to a kid, and eye drops that made my vision so blurry that I couldn’t even see to walk, much less read an eye chart.
After the eye exam, I always got a new pair of glasses. Kids’ glasses in those days came with pink or blue plastic frames. For some reason, I always had to get the ugly pink ones and could never have blue ones like my friend Jean Landers had.
I went through childhood in pink plastic glasses, trying to be careful because glasses in those days were expensive and easy to break. If my glasses were broken, it meant wearing them fixed with tape until my parents could take me for another appointment in Charlotte.
Regardless of being careful, accidents seemed to happen. Once a kid threw a wallet at me (of all things) and hit my glasses. I cried and cried, not because I was hurt, but because of the trouble I knew I would be in for breaking my glasses.
As I became older, I eventually graduated to brown glasses that went with my hair and the dreaded pink plastic ones became a thing of the past. After that, my eyes changed every year or two and there were many styles of glasses, even cat-eyed glasses, which were all the rage at one point in time.
As a teen-ager, I hated glasses more than ever. I was called “four eyes, “”nerd,” and “cat-eyes.” As everyone knows, “Boys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.”
Ironically enough it was at about that time that the doctor decided I really didn’t need to wear glasses. It wasn’t that I could see any better; it was just that the problem with my vision was not correctable with glasses. Too bad they could not have figured that out sooner. It would have saved a lot of childhood trauma — not to mention a lot of trips to Charlotte.
I didn’t wear glasses at all until I became older and my eyes began to change. By then, this wonderful thing called “contact lenses” had been invented, and glasses sort of went the way of the dinosaur.
Things went along pretty well for a while with the contacts, until I needed bi-focals. I tried bi-focal contacts, and tried, and tried. Finally, I gave up. Regardless of how many adjustments were made, I just couldn’t see.
I wore both contacts and reading glasses for while. Finally, I gave up on contacts and went back to glasses. I was wearing glasses half the time anyhow, so why fool with contacts?
When laser eye technology came along, I thought about it, but my doctor said that it was not an option for me. So it seems I’m doomed to forever be a girl who wears glasses.
Everyone was a bit shocked when Sarah Palin came into the national spotlight wearing glasses and not apologizing for it. Sales of frameless glasses increased dramatically. I had already discovered frameless glasses, but what difference does it make whether glasses have frames or not? They are still glasses.
And so time marches on wearing glasses.
As far as boys, it doesn’t matter anymore. Most of the guys my age are also wearing glasses.
Humor Columnist Blog 
Hi Sheila. Thank you for the post. When I saw Humor Columnist blog I had to read you. My brother lives about an hour from Charlotte in a town called Shelby. Heard of it? I wanted to introduce myself. I am making my comeback to blogging. I am autistic and I write memoirs about growing up with autism but being unaware of it. I use humor in a lot of my stories and write memoirs ranging from relationship struggles to alcoholism to the importance of rules and structure. I am author of the book The Driveway Rules and wish to share my experiences with the wordpress community. P.S. glasses are sexy
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Hi Marc, I grew up in Lincolnton about 30 miles from Shelby. Your blog sounds interesting and probably a lot of people will like reading it. Good luck with your blogging.
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Thank you Shelia. I’m from the other coast, California. I’ve lived in northern California, southern California and now Central California. I think those who read my blog will enjoy it. And that is not coming from a cocky place but as a place where as a writer I know I told my truth and I know my voice and it feels good to come from a genuine place using my genuine voice.
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When I got my most recent glasses, the doctor insisted I get progressive lenses. I couldn’t get them to understand that my job required me to be moving constantly. I didn’t have enough time to adjust my eyes. Other people at work said they couldn’t wear them either. I finally told them to give me reading glasses. They did (reluctantly), but still insisted it was my fault. Finally, I took the prescription and went somewhere else.
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I didn’t have any problem with progressive lenses, but I’ve heard they make some people feel dizzy. I wore tri-focals for a while prior and don’t know if that helped or not. There is a period of adjustment when changing prescriptions, but if you can’t see, you can’t see. I had that problem trying bifocal contacts. Never did adjust to them. Very distressing.
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Some people, like Sarah Palin, look better in glasses. I wish I could say that about me!
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Have you noticed how some people look better in facemasks?
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Nothing wrong with wearing glasses. I had to start wearing glasses as a teenager and I still do for driving or seeing words far away. Either way I don’t mind and being that I am already awkward I try to find the biggest frames in my price range and go with it. Even if it’s only me that’s laughing, at least I made somebody’s day. :D.
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I like the large frames for sunglasses. Seems as if they protect my eyes better.
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YES!! I remember those days. I started wearing glasses in 3rd grade and they were the bane of my existence. I don’t recall having pink or blue glasses, though some of my friends did. I think mine were all brown. I’d have to dig out old school photos to verify. In my early 20’s my eyes were changing faster than I could keep up with. So, I got contacts that stabilized my vision until middle age eye issues.. For a while I wore one far and one near lenses. That worked pretty well. Finally, a few years ago I got implants for distance vision and wear reading glasses. So far that is working, though I hate wearing glasses on a cord around my neck.
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I got along pretty well without anything until I got older and then my vision really went south. I tried about everything, but I really don’t care anymore. Glasses are the least of my health problems at my age.
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I started wearing glasses at puberty and yep, I had the ugly pale pink plastic that were too pale for my skin. When I graduated from high school all my friends got luggage from their parents but I got contact lenses. I was happy for 35 years until the close up because a problem (especially at the checkout where I couldn’t believe what they were charging me because I couldn’t read the price). I had the surgery but it doesn’t fix the close up problem so today I wear glasses with an almost clear (still have astigmatism) upper and a reading prescription at the bottom. I love frameless. My last pair has a half frame but I’m going back to frameless for my next pair.
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I wear the frameless ones also. They are lighter than the frames, which is nice. If I ever see another pair of those pink things, I plan to stomp them.
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🙂
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