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Losing vision too (Vaishali Khadilkar, Sep 30th, 2007) |
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Now Jacob did it to himself (the self infliction of squinting, my mom was responsible for mine).
It so happened that when my sis was in 10th, most of her friends had specs, the wonderful friends. So she kept on insisting that she couldn't see, and needed a pair herself! She made my parents take her to the eye specialist for the test. Now as it so happens, she had the perfect 20/20 vision and the doc told my mom there was nothing wrong with her eyes!!! Now my mom was livid. Back in those days parents were not as fussy as we are now, and any waste of money was considered a sacrilege (these days we'd take the kids twice at even a hint of discomfort). So my mom decided that just coz her friends had specs, she wanted the same.
Now at this stage I was in seventh. By next year, I too started having Jacob's experiences of double vision and squinting did seem to help, but sadly i was already a first bencher. I kept on insisting to my mom that I couldn't see, but she told me since your friends too have specs (most of them did) you are doing the same as your sis; and that there is nothing wrong with your eyes!!
So I dragged on, squinting away to glory. This did not affect my performance much, so there was no gauge to measure against. Then it was time to go on the annual vacation and we were at the Mumbai airport (Bombay as it was known back then). There was this big hoarding, and we had a long wait at customs, so my sister and I were reading aloud all the things. Now though this hoarding was big and bright, I couldn't read it, and I said I can't. My mom, who was only paying the partial attention till then, looking for the queue to move on, suddenly put up her radar. She asked, can't you read that? Its so big !!! Try again. I said I can't !!! That really scared her and the first thing we did, as soon as we landed was to take me to an opthalmologist! Lo and behold, the process progressed and the result was a -2.75 in left and a -2.5 in right: spherical and to add to the misery a -1.5 cylindrical in both eyes! The lenses I chose were glass and the frame very large!
After a week, the new attachments arrived and as I put them on, it was like a new world was opened up to me. I could actuallly recognise the people in the movies, rather than guessing them, I felt as if I was walking on air (that happens literally, one feels the ground and other things coming up to you, when you use a pair for the first time)!!!
And this way returned the triumphant heroine to ISB, to continue another year of mischief (with added clarity this time round). Thank God, one does not need a pair of spectacles to talk!!!!! Things might have been different, and my power a lot lesser, if that were the case!!! Adios till the next time.
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