Being an adult...

I have my eye-doctor checkup today. I fully expect I will at least wind up picking out new frames, and very likely will be told to brace for learning to use progressive lenses. (I've noticed increasing difficulty focusing to thread a needle. I can still read fine print fine with my glasses off, but I do notice I have to move the book a bit farther from my eyes than I'd like with glasses on).

I presume they will also do the standard battery of tests; eye doctors tend to go "Hmmm" at me and pull out more equipment when they hear my family medical history (grandmother with macular degeneration, aunt on that side with glaucoma).

I dropped off what old records I had from my prior doctor yesterday. My previous eye doctor died suddenly, there were some issues with probating the stuff in his office, apparently some records got lost, but finally I was able to get a photocopy of some of them. So I carried those out there yesterday (also so I would know where the place was and wouldn't get stressed about trying to find it tomorrow when I was trying to get to my appointment).

The receptionist called me "DR. Lastname" which surprised me....It's possible, though I didn't directly remember her, she could have been a former student. Or it could have been she called up the file of information I filled out online; I may have put "Dr." as the honorific.

I don't use that often; the bad old stereotype of the college prof who pushes the fact that he (In my experience, it's usually but not exclusively a "he") has a Ph.D. in everyone's face is a stereotype for a reason. And outside of work, it really doesn't matter to me. EXCEPT I find that some medical professionals treat me with a bit less patronization when they find out I have a degree in biology, so I figure it benefits me to let them know up-front. (My regular doctor once commented that she liked having me as a patient because "I can use the terminology with you and you already know it.")

Also, going out there told me a couple other things I needed to know - for one thing, they have an on-site glasses store. And yeah, yeah, I know, it could be cheaper going elsewhere, but for something like progressives I want it to be RIGHT the first time, and I suspect going through my eye doctor means it will be more likely they are right - or if they aren't, they will be made right without my making a stink. (And I have vision insurance, though I've been warned it doesn't pay a lot. Oh well. I haven't spent my tax refund yet, so that may partially go for new glasses).

And honestly? It's kind of fun picking out new frames. I wear glasses and not contacts for a couple reasons: first, my allergies are bad enough that contacts could be irritating (or a problem on the rare days I get a hive near my eyes). And also, I work around enough scary solvents not to want contacts. (My sister-in-law, who is a chemist, prefers contacts at home but wears glasses at work). Also, glasses, in most cases of what I do, can double as "safety glasses" (for really dangerous stuff, and for things like edging my lawn, which can throw up little pebbles, I wear a pair of the goggles that totally block access to the eyes).

Also, frankly, I think I look better - more "myself" - wearing glasses. (The old claim about men, passes, and women who wear glasses notwithstanding). And yes, glasses are an accessory. You can look over their tops at someone if you're annoyed (the Tommy Lee Jones "implied facepalm" look). A classic "flirt" move for the glasses wearer is to pull them off and chew on one stem. I sometimes take them off, close my eyes, and rub the spot on my nose where the nosepiece sits - sort of a "what is this I can't even" reaction to things, or a "I need a moment of quiet" things.

I am going to go with slightly larger frames than I have now; the ones I currently have are a bit "short" in that there's part of my vision that goes uncorrected, and I can tell it affects my ability to simultaneously see the piano keys and the music on the stand, for example.