I got my first pair of glasses when I was twelve-years-old. The frames were a navy blue on the outside with a lime green interior. They had personality. They had pizazz. They were amazing. I loved everything about my glasses, and I was so excited to wear them. They were like a fashion accessory. Something pretty and awesome and new.
Most people I knew with glasses had been wearing them since they were kids. It was a little weird for me, having just gotten them in middle school, but that was just how it happened. I'd noticed one day that I couldn't see what the teacher was writing on the board when I was sitting in the back of the room, and that was something that I sort of needed to be able to do if I was going to be any good in school. I begged to get an eye exam, and my mom took me. Soon I came out with the news that I didn't have 20/20 vision after all. I was nearsighted. It was time to get my brand new, wonderful glasses.
As much as I loved them, however, after a year or so I realized that glasses weren't always perfect. I played volleyball in middle school, and there was a constant fear that I was going to get hit in the face with a ball and end up breaking my glasses. At the time, I was jealous of my friends who had so many pairs of cute sunglasses. So I decided to get contact lenses.
Oh boy, was that an experience. It turns out I have sensitive eyes that don't take well to typical saline solution that one uses for contacts. I had to get a special solution and a special lens holder for them so I wouldn't end up in a ridiculous amount of pain every time I put my contacts in. Not that they didn't still hurt. Contacts are a literal pain in the ass. For a while, it was worth it. Volleyball and sunglasses were going great for me.
After a while, though, I couldn't do it anymore. I gave up on contacts. I put them away and went back to my glasses, getting newer, cuter frames. I went for quite a while without ever putting my contacts back in, but there were circumstances that called for them. I didn't want to move around too much and have them fall off, like at school dances or concerts. I did theatre in high school, and not every character wore glasses. Things of that sort.
Eventually, I ran out of excuses to wear contacts. They were just too painful and I loved my glasses too much. There were so many cute frames out there, and I would rather go for the fun styles of a pair of glasses than the things I could do without them. I've never had to deal with the stereotypical "four-eyes" insults, in fact, I've only ever gotten compliments on my glasses. I think they're one of the best things about me. You know, in addition to being able to see clearly.
Sure, there are still drawbacks. Halloween costumes and cosplay mean I have to go blind unless I want to get a new prescription for new contacts to suffer through, which I really don't have the time for right now. I have to deal with the blinding sun because let's face it, prescription sunglasses are kind of ugly. Cleaning your glasses every five seconds isn't worth it so I'm constantly seeing the world through a layer of... grossness. But it's all worth it! Glasses really are the best. Ask the people out there who wear fake ones to be fashionable. They wish they were as cool as us.
