If you know me from primary school, you would know that I am not a spectacle wearer. Oddly enough, I started wearing glasses when I entered Optometry school. My first ever prescription glasses is during our training before entering clinic year.
Truth be told: I hated wearing my glasses. It wasn’t how I imagined it to be in elementary where those who wear frames look smart. I didn’t like how I look with glasses. Mostly, I hated how I now have to wear my specs to see things better and avoid having eyestrains.
Overtime, wearing glasses before my 5th year started was a blessing in disguise. Through this experience, I developed a deeper appreciation for lenses. I have gained empathy in personally getting to see a fraction of what my patient’s have to deal with to carry on with their everyday tasks. Through this experience, I saw firsthand how even a small amount of grade can change a person’s life. That spectacles, when dispensed properly, can create a lasting impact. I gained interest in binocular vision. I always re-check, refine, and balance my refraction. I search for frames that will complement the face shape of my patients. I try to do my best during patient education—noting and customizing what I say depending on who my patient is.
Ever since this semester has started, I have felt disappointed at myself for not reaching certain things: may it be on patient handling or scores on a quiz. But just like my first pair of prescription glasses, these too have been blessings in disguise. Lately, I have learned to embrace my life when it’s worth celebrating, and even when it feels like it’s falling apart.
