0181B: Renewed Vision

I picked up my new glasses on the way home today - an endeavor that also required that I wait outside the doors of Ali Mall until they officially opened some time closer to 10:10am. The summer heat is pretty brutal still and it ranges from a very harsh, dry heat to a rather smothering wave of humidity. Then we'll get that single burst of rain that gives us false hope that things are getting better.

The glasses are okay - a bit of a necessary evil at this point, as mentioned previously. Despite the fact that they're of the exact same grade as my previous pair, there's always that moment of adjustment you feel when you try on a new pair. This contrast within this adjustment period is rather heightened by the fact that I had just taken my contacts off a few minutes before trying this pair on. My eyes were already weary from a full day at the office with the somewhat burden of contact lenses thrown into the mix.

When you first try on a new pair of glasses, you are reminded of the fact that they are an external, purely physical remedy to your vision problems. Your eyes need to become accustomed to the barrier that now tries to filter your view of the world. And there are other nuances - take for example astigmatism.

I am generally near-sighted in both eyes, but in recent years I've been unable to shake off the astigmatism in my left eye. When I first put on my new glasses, I could sort of feel the differences between my two ailments. I've always associated astigmatism with a somewhat cloudy layer over my vision, which is still distinct from things being blurry. Even with the right prescription, there will always be the slightest hint of cloudiness that seems to linger in that left eye.

But on the whole, I'm just glad that I can see well again and my glasses don't look like some junk shop artifact being sold at a small fraction of its original value. Small pleasures in life.

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