At the start of the year, I ordered new glasses - my first pair in over seven years. My old pair are older than my daughter and suffice to say, my eyesight has changed since then. Hopefully though, it isn't going to change as fast now I am a little older, as what caused the rapid degradation is Keratoconus, which is where the cornea thins and changes shape. It affects about 1 in 2000 people so - lucky me.
There was a "deal" on which meant I could get the lenses of the normal glasses cut at half price, plus a pair of prescription sunglasses with the total of those at 50% off also. They were still very expensive, but less "very expensive" than the very, very expensive they would have been. I have never had prescription sunglasses, and I think it is a good call to get some.
So, my eyes have changed a lot in the time since my last pair and I was not really ready for how much of a difference they have made. While everything is now in "HD" again, it is also somewhat warped, and distances are different. And for example, when I look at my phone and turn it so the edge is facing me, it has a pronounced warped shape to it, as if the corners aren't square. And, when I got into the car to drive to the gym, it felt as if I was sitting very high, like in an SUV or a van.
Speaking of the gym for a moment...
As I was walking through the underground parking lot, I watched as a car slowly reversed and I thought it was going to hit the parked car behind it, but stopped about two inches short, and then just stopped. As I moved around the car, there was no one driving - they had left the handbrake off and it had rolled out of the slot.
What was super weird, was that there was a couple sitting in their car next to it, and instead of doing anything, they just watched it roll away. Finns are not very proactive in helping, unless they are explicitly told to help. As the car was locked, I couldn't push it as the steering will was slightly turned, and I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't hit it into something else, plus I didn't have anything to chock the wheel with.
So I took a picture.
The gym is in a kind of shopping center with a couple warehouse type stores, so first I went to the gym and asked them to make an announcement of the numberplate over the PA, but no one came forward. Then I went to the couple stores and asked for the same. No response.
Back at the gym.
At the gym, I searched a car registration site, paid 2.95€ for the basic information, and got it sent to my email, as well as on the screen. Among other things, I know the year, insurance company, VIN, registration information, when the next inspection is due, engine size and of course, who the owner is, and their home address.
No phone number though.
So, after a call to information, I was able to get the number eventually and then called the guy. This took about twenty minutes all up though, so by the time I had called, he had already discovered his car sitting in the middle of the carpark and said that he was lucky, as at least it didn't hit the other car.
He didn't say thanks for trying to contact.
And, whilst I was staring at my screen while on the stretching mat instead of working out, I took a fucking selfie so I could show a little of what my new glasses look like. The last pair have thick, anthracite-colored frames, so these ones are far lighter-looking on my face. Though, they don't make my face look any better.
I am actually quite interested at how my brain is going to process the changes and how quickly it is going to adjust. According to the optometrist, it should be fine in a week or so, but of course she has no idea about my challenges with cognition since I had a stroke. Since my brain doesn't do much automatically these days, I hope that at least with something like this, it is still going to form some new connections, or blur interpret properly to stop the warped perspective.
My perspective on the world is already warped enough.
But it is weird, because at the moment, when I walk I feel taller, because everything is a bit stretched upward and squashed inward. High definition tilt shift. The ground seems further away, and I am getting the sense of what most of my friends feel like, as they are generally far taller than myself. It makes walking difficult too, as the distances are not coming naturally, and I missed pressing the button in the elevator. A couple weeks though, and maybe it will be back to normal, or maybe it will stay this way, and my views will be skewed forever.
At least I will have an excuse.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
