20/20...At a Distance

I have always had ridiculously good eyesight. Up close, far away, itty bitty — I can see it. Well, I could.

It started in late summer. One day the massage therapist next door burst into my salon insisting that I read something on the Internet. Since my computer is set up left-handed and she is right-handed, she has long since learned not to try to look stuff up on my computer, so she just shoves her cell phone in my face when she has something she desperately wants to share with me.

And so it was on that day, she shoved her cell phone right up in my face about six inches from my eyes like she usually does, and I gently pushed her hand (and cell phone) farther away... and then I pushed it even farther away.

This disturbed me. I immediately recognized that I had just pushed the phone farther away from my eyes than I normally needed it. Uh oh. My eyes have finally hit their forties.

Sure enough, over that week I started noticing that my eyes were having trouble focusing at closer distances and I was holding stuff farther away than normal.

I can’t say I was surprised — they tell me these things happen after 40.

So I went on with my life and merrily started exclaiming that I needed to get to an optometrist soon.

And I kept putting it off. I finally told my mother that I wanted an eye exam for Christmas this year. Naturally, my mother didn’t take me entirely seriously. But I knew I would just keep putting it off. So, sure enough, Mom took me to get my eyes checked.

I’m not sure how this works out, but the doctor tells me that I have 20/20 vision, my eyes are in awesome shape, I show no signs of cataracts or glaucoma... but I need reading glasses.

Again, not a big surprise. But I don’t understand how I can have 20/20 vision and still need glasses.

At least I’ll be able to finish around the cuticles again.