On "losing" my glasses and Molly's tr-eye-umph (I tried)

Molly (and everyone who loves her!) got some fantastic news at the doctor's office this morning! Her patching time has been reduced by half, which means we will only have to patch her every other day. Her vision in the bad eye has improved a lot in the last two weeks, and he seemed surprised at how much she can see with the cataract. Since the patching is working, we will be able to hold off on the cataract surgery until she's old enough to tell the doctor what she can see, around age 4. This is such incredible news. I went in, prepared for the worst, and came out with the best case scenario!

Molly's eye troubles have redefined our "normal." We are adapting every day to new obstacles we face, and learning to accept this situation as part of our lives and more important, part of Molly. Yes, it still sucks. Yes, my feelings are hurt each and every time I overhear another child ask their mom "What's wrong with that little girl's eye? Why is she wearing a patch?" But I am looking at it now as something that has to be unpleasant now so she can have good vision later.

I had to get glasses in 1st grade. Oh, that was a terrible day. I had these huge Osh Kosh B'Gosh glasses that, even to my 6 year old self, were SO uncool. I figured out the solution to that uncoolness really fast: I just won't wear them. Ever. I only had to wear them at school, so when I got there, I would put them away. Thought I was outsmarting Mom and Dad and the ol' optometrist. I actually went as far as dumping my spectacles into the Lost and Found bin at Byars Dowdy. (Note: once my mom saw my glasses were MIA, she checked the Lost and Found, where those damn glasses sat, laughing at me, waiting to be perched on my face again.)

The point is, I refused to wear those glasses unless it was dark in the classroom while we were doing work on the overhead projector. And my vision continued to decline. Eventually, it was so bad, I had to sit in the front row AND squint to see the words on the board. That's when I got contacts--5th grade. I've worn them ever since. I know that my vision could've been helped if I had worn the corrective lenses prescribed to me, so that motivates me to help Molly's vision as much as possible. I don't want her to end up like me, blind as Ray Charles without my contacts in (but not half as cool, and minus the sunglasses). Maybe Lasik is in my future?

I want to thank my father, Vance, for passing on the terrible vision to me, my mother, Teresa, for buying me those ugly glasses, and most of all, Dr. Gallager, who suggested contacts, and therefore, probably saved my vision. Maybe life. Let me think about that.

That is all.