August 15, 2013--Eyeglass Update

A number of friends reading here about my eyeglass plight kindly wrote to share stories about their own struggles with aging eyes and offered helpful suggestions about what I might do to manage my proliferating need for various kinds of glasses--from reading to those for intermediate and long-distance viewing.

Bifocals was the answer for some while others shared the ease and convenience (after a considerable transition period) trifocals provide.

I thought you might like to know about the adjustments I've made and how I am managing.

For my readers, rather than worrying about which book I should leave them perched on (since I usually have two or three books going at once) or buy one or two back-up pairs--one for each book--I am placing them only on the book by my bedside. Not the one on the daybed nor the other next to my favorite reading chair.

This seems to be working as long as I remember it's the book in the bedroom that I'm intending to use as my eyeglass repository and do not confuse things by leaving them on top of the last book I was reading before nodding off for my afternoon nap. (Currently, the fine Fools by novelist Joan Silber.)

Rona's suggestion about this--admittedly she has a lot to put up with in regard to me, now multiple eyeglasses in addition to other matters I'd prefer at the moment not to discuss--her recommendation is that I read only one book at a time and thereby solve my reading glasses issues and, as a happy consequence, have more time to be involved with her.

But there I go stumbling into those other matters.

For intermediate viewing I believe I reported last week that my old, out-of-date readers were serving well for TV watching, cooking, and eating. But Rona so hated the "old-man frames"--her description--that made me look, she claimed, "just like" my father, that she confiscated them and then donated them for recycling to the local hospital.

"Let someone else look like your father," she said.

"But you loved him and he loved you so I'm  . . ."

"I did, but you're not him, and my love for him was different from mine for you."

I was happy to hear that. The part about loving me.

But still frustrated, I rooted around in my draw-full of old glasses and found a pair that appear to work perfectly for midrange seeing. And since they have "cool" frames (Rona's description again), I do not as a result look anything like my father. At least when it comes to eyeglasses.

I watched Sunday's episode of Newsroom with them and could see perfectly. On the other hand, I couldn't hear or understand any of the dialogue and had to ask Rona repeatedly what was going on.

But my hearing is another issue I prefer not to talk about.

For long-distance seeing, my old 1.0 magnifiers continue to serve well. I have my two pairs in the car--tinted ones for daytime driving and clear ones for after-dark. Again there is the problem of twilight. At this time of year it commences at about dinner time and driving to restaurants in half-light is becoming problematic. But when going out we're staying close and eating in more than usual.

I'm fine with that. Rona, however, isn't. When driving, she has been giving me attitude about all the switching from tinted to clear glasses and then, at twilight, to wearing no glasses at all.

"Perhaps I should drive," she offers as the sun begins to set.

"I'm fine," I respond half-truthfully. "This way you can drink as much wine as you like and I'll be the designated driver." I try winking to show I have a sense of humor about this subject (I don't). But suspect even my version of charm is not working.

Maybe I should look onto getting glasses for long-distance needs of the kind they advertise on TV that get darker or lighter depending on the ambient light.

I know what Rona would say to that--"Trifocals."

But that's yet another matter.