I was in graduate school when I realized I should be wearing glasses. A group of us had gone out to celebrate after our qualifying exams, and there was a basketball game on the television above the bar. I asked if someone could read the score and was met with surprise: “you can’t read that?!” Everyone took turns passing around their glasses to gauge how strong a prescription I needed.
I went in to see an optometrist the next day, and had some new frames in a week or so—honestly, I was pretty excited about trying out the look. I still think glasses are very cool. I remember waiting for them to arrive.
Aron and I both need corrective lenses, and I can’t imagine the hardship it would be to not have access to vision care. I’m aware how lucky I was to have clear sight within a matter of days.
Today I’m partnering with VSP® Vision Care, the nation’s leading provider of vision care and coverage, in support of their open enrollment program. Open enrollment is a window of time during which employers allow employees to select health care, vision, dental, and other benefits. It typically happens annually and generally runs for a few weeks.
My prescription hasn’t changed much since my first pair of glasses, and today I often choose contacts rather than frames—feeling more myself most of the time without. Sunglasses, however, are probably one of my favorite accessories (ref: #Ihavethisthingwithsunglasses), and the first time I got prescription ones was so exciting! It felt like such a luxury! I confess I have a few pairs now—and I just added this red pair from VSP’s online eyewear store, Eyeconic. (I tried them on virtually.)
What about you? Do glasses fit your personality? What’s your frame style? Do you fully commit to the look—are they almost like a part of your face—or do you use them to change things up?
I love how transformative they can be, but I also can understand how the wrong pair might make your reflection seem like that of a stranger’s. I once read an interesting article that asked whether you would remove your glasses for a family wedding picture as a way to determine whether or not your self-perception is that of a glasses-wearer. Many people remove them, even after going through a full day wearing glasses. And, I imagine, there’s another faction who would leave them on. I think the first time I got fitted for contacts was before my own wedding, actually!
Of course, while all of this debate—choosing between different colors of frames, going back and forth between contacts and frames—does feel like a luxury, seeing clearly shouldn’t be.
This post is sponsored by VSP® Vision Care, the nation’s only not-for-profit vision care company with the mission to help people see. Talk to your employer about getting started with VSP this open enrollment season.
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