idle musings

I had an eye exam yesterday. I was convinced that my prescription needed to be updated as I find that lights at night have become fuzzy again. As it turns out, my prescription is the same as it was last year, when it had changed just slightly from what I was wearing and the optomitrist recommended I not bother getting new lenses as it would make such a tiny difference.

Now, though, I am going to get new lenses for my old frames, and a new pair of glasses as well. I want to update my look a little. I’m hoping that the rectangular frames that are in fashion right now suit my face because I really want a pair like that.

As with any other medical procedure, I’m not really bothered by the different things I need to do for an eye exam. The only thing that ever gets me is the eye drops. I am incapable of putting drops in my own eyes as my blink reaction is so strong that as soon as I squeeze the bottle, my eyelid closes. At the exam, the tech puts the drops in – two different kinds per eye. The first set are supposed to ‘tingle’ a little – sure, ‘tingle’ if tingle means a bit of a burning sensation! I managed not to blink as she put them in but afterwards, I couldn’t open my eyes. She was waiting to put the next set of drops in and I could not open my eyes to let her.

It was the strangest sensation. My brain was sending the message for my eyelids to lift but they just weren’t. I don’t usually think about movement – I want to move and then I do. There isn’t any noticable time between the wanting to move and the movement because the process is so quick. Think about that for a second. Move your hand. How did that happen? Some process in your brain sent the message to your muscles and tendons and whatever else and the movement happened exactly as you wanted it to. It is so normal that we do not ever think about it, until it breaks down and we cannot make the movement.

Whenever I need eyedrops I always experience that same sensation and it never fails to intrigue me.