Single-sighted

That was how I celebrated my raya. The left lense of my glasses fell out of it’s frame onto the hard floor and shattered, the day before raya. We visited several optometrists but none of them keep stock of the material specifications that I need – not lense, not contact lens. (And I thought I would wear contact lens for the first time in my life). My astigmatisme is too high, and I guess such specs don’t get ordered often. I called my two brothers who were still in the Klang Valley then, perhaps the optometrists there keep more range of lenses. But still a no.

So, I resigned to my situation – I have tried, afterall. At this point in time, it was easy to say ‘if only I had endeavour to tighten the screw the night before’ (yes, I had noticed then that the screw is very loose) or ‘if only I was more careful’, but I have resolved and trained myself not to go into the pointless ‘kalaulah’ and ‘if only’ since years ago. I felt envious of the people who have good eyesight and need no correction, but I also remind myself – Alhamdulillah, I can still see. There are other less fortunate people who can’t. I’m also grateful that I still had my right lens, and could still see with it. Alhamdulillah..

What I did was wrap the empty frame of the left with a piece of cloth so that I don’t get dizzy with blur left and focused right. I even managed to find a piece of cloth that matched my baju raya hehe. My family and relatives laughed and teased me – ‘pirate’ raya! They said I spoiled the raya photo and asked me to take my glasses off. I laughed with them. When I go out, other people, especially kids stared. I smiled, and they smiled back. When I go visit other relatives, my glasses became the obvious ice-breaker “Eh, kenapa mata tu?” – which I really appreciated, because it’s an easy topic to talk about (I’m not good at socializing). When I accidentally knocked down a drinking glass or spilled Afiefah's bubur, I quickly said “It’s my eyesight!” What a great excuse to use hehe.

Afiefah stared too, at first, but she get used to it very quickly. Munief asked “Kenapa spek Ummi?” to which I replied “Spek Ummi rosak. Kaca ni pecah.” He asked several times, even after many days. I guess this proves that Afiefah is more receptive to new and different things, being younger, while Munief has learnt that Ummi’s glasses should look a certain way and is hence curious as to why it is not.

Using only one half of the pair of eyes is okay (better than both blur). But it is sometimes difficult to tell distances accurately. It is not as clear, for example, if the ground is uneven. It is not safe to drive, so I waited until the new glasses were ready before I drive to work. The eye hurts and I felt dizzy after using the laptop a long time. The worst is trying to read signboards in a moving car.

I got my new glasses 7 days later. Last Saturday, all of the local ‘friends’ optometrists are still closed, so I had to visit another optometrist because I couldn’t wait longer. What an excellent customer service. We were served tea, and MHH was offered a free service to clean his glasses. Of course, I know it was all business, but I think it is something we could learn about.

The topic of laser eye correction surgery did pop up, and MHH’s brother also mentioned it when we met. Coincidently, I met a colleague yesterday who had undertaken the procedure. One of my main concerns was, what if the eye deteriorate even after the surgery? She said she’s been okay for four years now, and she was ready to wear glasses anyway when the long-sightedness due to age start to appear (about 40+) so it could be a dual. The doctor would check first the suitability; there could be cases The surgery itself was very short, only several minutes. She had to stay in bed for a few hours and she recovered fully (able to see clearly) in a 2-3 days. Her eyes gets drier easier, she said, so she uses eye-moisturizing liquids often. It costed her RM3k+ then – it’s probably around RM4k+ now. Do you know anyone from your family and friends who has done this procedure? What was their experiences like? My mother had tried to persuade me to wear braces since I was in secondary school, but I had refused (reason: malas to deal with the inconveniences). My teeth may not be pretty, but Alhamdulillah they function well and don’t cause any trouble. But this eye correction surgery – I wish to consider.

In the meantime - Afiefah, can you please don't grab my glasses so often and treat them like a toy?