I have been toying for a while now with the idea of getting contact lenses. My glasses have been a source of constant irritation since I got them a few years ago.
One afternoon I was walking through the town centre and was given a leaflet for a free eye test. It was meant to be, I thought. I went straight to the well-known opticians and booked an eye test and contact lens appointment. I felt good.
That is, until I was ushered into the optician’s office a few days later. Don’t get me wrong, the man testing my eyes was lovely, very professional. I didn’t feel good around twenty minutes into the test where he uttered those words no lady wants to hear. He said “At your age…” at the beginning of a sentence. It turns out that I am now “at that age..” you know, the one where you suddenly get called Madam, not Miss, and when your optician tells you that you could do with a pair of bi-focal lenses in your glasses.
I was inconsolable, no, I’m joking. However, this just made me want contact lenses more. So after wandering around looking at the frames for a while, I then went upstairs to have the contact lens consultation. This all went well and I was asked to come back the next week to pick up some free trial lenses.
I’ve been wearing them for four days now, and I’m just deciding whether or not I want to continue. I think I do. Over the last few days, I’ve had compliments from my husband (this is rare) and my kids, not noticing I don’t have my glasses on, have said I look nice. I’m happy, because I can now apply make up without my glasses getting in the way. There is though, always a downside. I’ve realised how good a pair of glasses are at hiding the bags under your eyes…
Angela Haffenden