On getting a new pair of spectacles

I was wearing spectacles from the age of 20. I was a teacher then and I had a belief that you look scholarly with spectacles. Though I was anything but a scholar, I wanted my students to believe that I was one and I thought that spectacles would help. My erudition did not go up, but my eyesight went down and eventually, like everyone, I had to wear spectacles, not for style, but for sight.

In 2020, I had a cataract surgery for one of my eyes and I was supposed to go for surgery for the other eye too. And then Covid came visiting and going to a hospital for a cataract surgery was too risky. Getting Covid from an eye hospital was the least of my priorities, though I managed to get it from other sources. In 2022, Covid showed a recession and travel restrictions were relaxed and I decided to go to the US of A. But my eyes were not all that perfect, though I could see clearly things like cruise ships, but couldn’t read or write much. Because I was planning to have the next cataract operation anytime soon, I decided to go for a temporary pair of glasses. I bought them from Titan Plus for about seventeen thousand rupees. Immediately after landing in the US, the frame of my new spectacles gave way and technology in US was not as advanced as to repair my defective TitanPlus spectacles, even though they tried their best. I got them repaired four times during the four months that I was in the US. An angry me came back to India and rushed to the TitanPlus store which sold me the third-grade spectacles and they told me that I did not know how to use spectacles. They were not impressed when I tried to convince them that I have been using spectacles for forty-five years, almost day and night and not a single pair was damaged all these years. Now, there was no way, but to go for the cataract surgery for the second eye and the process took about three months. Here I am with no proper eyesight for about three years; Cataract surgery successful and I am looking for a new pair of spectacles. Getting a new pair of spectacles can be a daunting task, especially after a cataract operation. TitanPlus is out, but still, I had no clue on where to go. The first challenge was choosing the right frame. There were so many options to choose from, ranging from sleek and modern to classic and retro. I tried on every frame in the store, but nothing seemed to work for me. Next came the task of choosing the right lens. Again, there were so many options to choose from, including bifocals, trifocals, and progressive lenses. It was overwhelming. That's when I decided to enlist the help of my former student, Srinivas better known as Chilli among his friends, who is also an optician. Without a look at me he knew exactly what kind of frame would suit my face. He picked out a classic frame that was both elegant and functional. It was perfect! As for the lens, he was the expert. He assured me that he would take care of everything. And he did. Finally, I had my new spectacles in hand. I put them on and was amazed at how clear everything looked. I could see details I hadn't noticed before, like the individual leaves on the trees outside and the lines in the laws which I couldn’t read earlier. And the best part? I looked good doing it! My new spectacles were the perfect mix of fine and function, and I couldn't be happier with my choice. Plus, I got to get expert advice on choosing the right glasses. It's a win-win situation! I feel nice to have been a teacher – you can see better even in old age.