JimFormation

Presby is Greek. It means “old person.” Sigh.

-opia means “visual defect.”

Around six months ago I went to the eye doctor. He asked me to read the third line.

“How about we get this over with quick, Doc. I’ll read the last line,” I said.

I read the last line and nailed it. Nice.

I ran through the gamut of other eye tests. Everything went swimmingly. No problems.

From that goddamned day on, my vision has gotten worse and worse. I’ve toyed with going back to his office and shaking my fist at his receptionist. But I haven’t.

In particular I’m having a hell of a time reading small text. The smaller the text is the farther I have to hold the thing I’m reading away from me.

I know what this is. You know what it is. “You’re getting old (43 as I write this) and you need glasses. Poor reading vision is normal with aging. Presbyopia. Presby-, old person; -opia, visual defect.”

Kiss my ass.

I didn’t go back to the eye doctor. I self-tested and self-diagnosed.

A normal (aka “young”) eye can focus down to about six inches or so. I can only focus down to about nine inches. My distant vision is still keen (I can probably read the last line of that damned eye doctor’s chart still). I’m presbyopic. My eyes are old.

Sonofabitch.

The other day I picked up a cheap pair of those “magnifiers” or “reading glasses.” What a difference. Reading is easy again.

Growing old sucks. But it’s better than the alternative.