The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Abnormally small pupils no longer an advantage

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When I went to see the optician last September (see Windows of the Soul) I knew my eyesight wasn’t quite as good as it used to be.

Although I was told I still had 20/20 vision, the natural weakening of the eye muscles that comes with age had been offset somewhat by my abnormally small pupils.

However, even this quirk of nature hasn’t been able to hold back the tide of deterioration, and ever since that visit I’ve been struggling ever harder to read the small print on tins and packets of food. And when I’m that extra bit tired even the TV guide is starting to be held at arms length.

So I’ve finally decided to stop living in denial and have acquired some glasses. As they are only for occasional use I figured there was no need to splash out any more than £1.99 for a pair of the weakest strength ones found in the cheap shops.

As and when they become a more regular feature of my interaction with the rest of the world, I’ll return to the optician and see about getting a proper pair.



Fashion statements have never been my thing, but I rather like the distortions you can create in photos
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34 comments

Eryl said...

Welcome to my world!

Kim Ayres said...

Ah, but you know how to look stylish in glasses

hope said...

I second Eryl!

Although I laughed when Hubby, a year older than I, advised I would be needing reading glasses when I turned 46, just as he had. So I bought a pair on my 46th birthday...and didn't start wearing them until 3 years later.

Yep, I'm sticking with the "cheap" ones as long as they do the trick. But why is it they make the print on medicine bottles so small these days? ;)

V said...

Glasses are good, and so are you photos (brief short cut to commenting twice!), V

Lynn said...

What a great shot!

A.T. Post said...

Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose buying glasses wasn't something you did happily. But now you have an ironclad excuse ready when you knock something over. "Sorry, I didn't see it."

And by the way, nice distortion.

Alan Richardson said...

I've been making do with $10 drug store specials for reading for quite a few years . . .

Suggested by an optician last time I had my eyes tested . . .

I do have a very slight astimatism . . .

Alan

Maggie May said...

great photo!

Tess Kincaid said...

I have a pair of reading glasses in every room of the house, in every handbag, and two pair in the car.

Anonymous said...

I really like this photo, Kim.

Library girl said...

Either way, you still have awesome 'vision' - what a pic!

Pat said...

I like the photo - it gives you a lean and hungry look.
I find it quite amusing to see 40 plus men (they are still boys to me) coming to terms with glasses.

Kim Ayres said...

Hope - I was having problems seeing the print saying how strong the glasses were...

V - efficiency savings, eh?

Lynn - thank you :)

Postman - I've always used the excuse that I'm a clumsy bastard. I can't see anyone accepting a different one now...

Alan - you mean an optician talked themselves out of money?

Maggie - thank you :)

Willow - I can see a real advantage to that!

~:C:~ - thank you :)

Library Girl - thank you - I must admit I'm really pleased with this image :)

Pat - having spent a lifetime without them, coming to terms with glasses is a bit of a struggle. However, I'm sure in 30 years time I'll be looking at youngsters in their 40s with a bemused exasperation :)

V said...

My brain was too tired to string a sentence together here and on your last post, hence efficiency savings which I can see was not an approach that was filled with much clarity, and I already wear specs......focus on the word 'good', and ignore all others!

Brindy said...

Kim,keep buying the £1.99 ones as long as you can. I have been wearing glasses all my life and now need ones that regularly cost in excess of £400, if I don't want to look like I have a cast off pair from Les Dawson! I have looked into having my arms extended but apparently it's not a service offered on the NHS!

Mary Witzl said...

This is my world too. Not so long ago, I was reading the tiny print on prescription bottles for everyone else. Sigh...

Charlie said...

I think the right style of specs would make you look quite intelligent, as opposed to ordinary intelligent.

When I gave in to wearing glasses I found that I wasn't falling down or tripping over crap nearly as much as I used to.

Aoife.Troxel said...

Cheap reading glasses are the best in my opinion, but when you start needing to wear them all the time and decide to get glasses, they don't have to be expensive. My father had some success buying prescription glasses over the internet, and while there wasn't a huge selection of styles, the price was right (under fifty euro for a pair of bifocals and two sunglasses attachments).
If you want the link, they are here;
http://www.zennioptical.com/home.php

Mimi and Tilly said...

I had to get glasses when i was 5 years old. I had little pink ones with the curly ends that fitted around my ears. I still have them somewhere in a drawer. Now I have a bright red pair. If I have to wear glasses outside the house, I might as well put a spring in my step.

Leigh Russell said...

My problem with having middle-aged eyes (!) is that I only need glasses for reading, so am constantly taking them on and off since, as an author, I do a lot of reading - and writing! To begin with, I spent more time looking for my glasses than looking through them.
I now wear my reading glasses on a permanent 'string' around my neck. It's the only way I can survive.

Leigh Russell said...

Totally forgot to mention, I love the photo! The expression on your face makes it perfect.

Hindsfeet said...

I know, completely off-topic, but Kim, you are a really hansome guy, distinctly so...

Disclaimer: that is not a pass, I mean no disrespect to your wife or your marriage, also not blowing smoke...just making an observation.

(phew! That comment was alotta work! ; ) ) (I'd "disclaim" that wink there too, but I'm exhausted.)

; )

Kim Ayres said...

V - "good" sounds good to me :)

Jacqui - maybe there's a market in making false arm extentions that just hasn't been exploited yet - find yourself an investor immediately!

Mary - it was the ingredients on packets where I really began to notice it

Charlie - I have found if I have them more on the end of my nose and peer at people over the top of them I look more like a stern grandfather

Aoife - Thanks for the link - I'll tuck it away for when I need it :)

Emma - something of a hoarder are you?

Leigh - this is where you need to adopt Willow's solution (see above). And I'm pleased you like the photo - I'm toying with using it, or one like it, for my photographer's photo for the exhibition I have in May (glance back a couple of posts for more info). If you need a new author's photo for your next novel, give me a shout :)

Hindsfeet - with the exception of my wife, few women have ever considered me handsome. I had to learn how to get by on my personality. So I'll put your comment down to a) my photo editing skills and b) you're just blinded by my English accent. To see what I really look like, take a look at the photo on this post...

Helen said...

Hey Bearded One - I'm not sure that it actually counts for anything, but I don't think you could get much sexier in my books!! What with that accent, your eccentricities and now glasses......(swoon etc)

Attila the Mom said...

Heh. I recently and reluctantly went back to the eye doctor after a 5 year hiatus. LOL Actually, the newer, smaller styles don't flatter my face and I didn't want to give up my old frames.

Whoa. My prescription changed so much, I think I've been blind for the last couple of years or so. Now I can see in HD. ;-)

Alan Richardson said...

"Alan - you mean an optician talked themselves out of money?"

Ophthalmologist in the USAF.

Alan

litzi said...

When our arms become too short to hold a book or magazine at a comfortable distance for reading and we have to resort to glasses, it’s a sure sign (as if that's necessary!) that we’ve become middle aged. Just wait till you need bifocals…then you’ll really feel older than dirt!

Kim Ayres said...

Helen - you have strange tastes...

Attila - when you say newer glasses don't flatter your face, is this because you can now see your face and it's 5 years older than you remember it? ;)

Alan - ah...

Litzi - the grey in my beard and hair, teenagers in the house and deep lines in my forehead were all a bit of a clue middle-age had arrived... :)

Hindsfeet said...

mm-hmm...yep,sorry, still handsome, still distinctly so.

(see previous disclaimer.)

; )

Have a good weekend over there, Kim... : )

Fay Campbell said...

First of all, let me dig through my cellar and see if I have any sympathy for you having to wear glasses. . . . . . nope, none there. I've had mine since age 2.
Secondly, you're just hotter with glasses, so rejoice.

erika said...

Oh, they will add to your charm :)

Anonymous said...

I believe your eyes weakened the same age as mine. I don't think I'm trendy either but I found bringing along a person who knew me best (myself excluded) made choosing frames easier.

Falak said...

Welcome to the world of glasses:)I think they are much better than lenses since they require lesser care and attention.

Kim Ayres said...

Hindsfeet - if you still claim that after the photo I pointed you to, I suggest you get your own eyes tested again... :)

Fay - I don't know about hotter, but I do look more authoritative when I peer over the top of them

Erika - do I need anything added...?

Allen - if/when I end up buying proper ones, my wife will be the one making the design decisions. After all, she'll be the one having to look at me wearing them :)

Falak - I'm a while away from lenses yet. So far I only need them for reading the small print on labels and TV guides :)

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