I had my annual eye exam yesterday. I figured if I volunteer for Vision is Priceless and I expect my boys to go through all the machinations of maintaining their vision and eye health, then I should be first in line at to get my own eyes tested. It was painless, quick and I finally ordered a pair of prescription sunglasses. Trust me, daily driving in the Floridian sun demands dark shades.
During the appointment I felt disproportionately anxious and emotional to what was actually happening. Here is why:
1. I was awake. Folks, that’s pretty much all it takes for me to feel disproportionately anxious and emotional.
2. Having to go through some of the necessary and slightly uncomfortable steps of my eye exam, like the pressure check with puffs of air and dilation drops, made me sad that my boys have had to do so much of this stuff at such an early age. I don’t like having to stand by and watch them cry as they get dilation drops or the doc struggles to keep them still to get a photograph of the inside of their eyes.
The woman that had walked me through the first steps of testing leading up to my actual exam asked me if it was all going alright. I confessed that I was thinking of my boys and their eye history. Since they are very well known at the optometrist, she understood my meaning.
She said that actually I’m quite lucky that my boys have been to exposed so much to doctors. She said she has fifteen year olds that refuse some parts of the eye testing because they are scared, defiant and/or crying.
So, my concern will no longer be feeling bad about their familiarity with all things medical and optical. I will be thankful they are learning to respect doctors and any tests that are required of them. My real concern is that soon, T.Puzzle and Full Speed will attempt to usurp the testers and run the show, equipment and the eye testing all on their own.
It’s a fine line for sure.
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- Children’s Vision and Eye Care Basics (women.webmd.com)
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