Monday 14 March 2016

MIRACLE GLASSES

Its funny how we don’t really pay attention to things we deem insignificant till we see them in a different perspective. Like eyesight. It is my first day with my new glasses – corrective glasses. That is what the optometrist said in hindsight they would do to my faulty eyes. He did not specify though when this miracle will happen. 

Before now, I have been able to use my eyes – mynaked iris and pupils – without any assistance, to seethings. Not every thing really, some things are just too far away that they do not deserve to be seen. It was no shame that I could not see those things, even after squinting my eyes like a fragile old man to the barest degree. I jut told myself, they are simply too farIt was acceptance of the situation and finding a way to moveon. Like when I was in school, and I could not really decipher what was written on the board, I would peep through and find out from notes of a seatmate. Or when watching TV, I would sit as close to the screen as I could. As long as I could read and write on my laptop, surf social media on my phone, drive through town safely (except for the occasional speed bumps I tend not see till I gallop straight into them) my problem was solved. Everything was all right

I was used to years of viewing featureless faces in the distance on streets and I could not really discern individuals till they were close by. So I learned to smile at every face, till that face was close enough for my eyes to focusIt was all fine to me. Nothing terrible. But nomy parents. So at their behest, I shuffled myself to the optometrist. 

A box full of lenses of varied shapes and sizes. Twowhite plastic chairs. A long narrow mirror hanging like it was carved for the use of a single user. And a chart of scrambled letters of varying sizes made up the setting of the consultation room. I read through chart of letters staring back at me through reflection from the mirrorwent through the first line of thick letters without a fuss. Then grappled my way through the middle ones, size of the letters now descendingAt the final row of letters reflecting in the mirror I could only sight blurry dots. Optometrist assessment: Terrible eyesight. In need ofglasses. I felt damaged. Like I was sitting alone surfing through my iPhone and enjoying it despite its little shortcomings only for Steve Jobs to appear and tell me that it is not a real iPhone. It is china. Yes, that sort of damaged. 

So I got my glasses and donned them on. Initially, I felt the floor tilting and zooming. But it adjusted immediatelyWith the glasses, it was surprising the amount of clarity I had been missing for a huge chunk of my lifetime. I mean if these were supposed to mimic real eyesight then I have missed a lot. The television screen was like in 3D. Clarity. Focus. Driving with the glasses, I realized there was a whole different world that I never really noticed. Signboards were no longer raised sheets of metals with pictures. They actually contained writings. Information. Tiny little letters with mottos and addresseswere visible. I could read insignia of states on plate numbers. I could see speed bumps before I actually barged into them. It was cool. This world of clarity. I fell in love with a world in glasses. Of course I took a selfie. Posted on Instagram. Hashtag. #LifeWithGlasses. 

So far so good. I don my glasses twenty four seven. Well, unless when eating. It is just impulsive; I need to see the food I am eating with my real eyes. Food deserves that respect. The heaviness of the lenses on my nose bridge is a bit annoying. I would probably get used it. Besides the clarity is worth it. So to a first full-day of life with glasses, I would read Tope Folarin’s Miracleand then prostrate and thank God for his gift of eyesight and the bonus of technology. Because we all need miracles.

2 comments:

  1. If you try to count the blessings of Allah upon, surely you cannot count them. Qur'an. Eyesight is a huge and magnificent blessing of Allah upon his servants. Take a look at your situation, you still can see, can walk, can read, can watch and can drive. In fact you've achieved all that you achieved with those eyes even though myopic. But you feel that you've missed a lot because you don't have natural visual acuity, even though you are not only able to see things with clear resolutions. How would you imagine the situation of blindness? One cannot just imagine how terrible it is to live without eyes. We that have clear eyesight, many times we don't take seconds to say 'Alhamdulillah for the ni'ima of eyesight'. May Allah help us to thank Him for His blessings on us.

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