LETTITOR.

I can see clearly now...

that I have corrective lenses

lasses. It’s been a little over two weeks now since that fateful day that I went into my local

}@ optometrist’s office and demanded that they take my $70, stare longingly into my eyes at
too-close a distance, and shoot air directly into my retinas. Outside of the occasional denied

eye-rub—a bad habit I’m struggling to break if only to prevent continuous smudging of my lenses—I think
I’m finally getting the hang of it and, maybe, even adjusting for the long-term. As someone forced to adopt
a piece of technology that most either acquire earlier in life, much later in life, or not at all, I’m noticing things
about how I used to look at the world that, leering out from behind frames, is now different. Take for example
looking at the ground.

A bad (possibly dangerous) habit to begin with—staring at the pavement while on the move doesn’t exactly
scream “come interact with me, I’m a confident and well-adjusted member of society” or “don’t hit me with your
car”—it’s been made increasingly difficult with a blurry black bar stamped across my line of sight should my eyes

doddle downward. Now of course I can still look at the ground—I’m wearing glasses, not a neck brace—it just

requires a more conscious turn of the head. Arguably, this is an improvement. If nothing else, my posture might
marginally improve for fear of my glasses slipping off should my chin dip. I’m perceiving the world differently and, in
a similar fashion, I suspect I am being perceived differently by the world.

According to a recent study conducted by the College of Optometrists, reported online by the DailyMail,

“A third of adults think spectacle-wearers look more professional, while 43 per cent think they appear more
intelligent.” As a newly converted, I’m fine with the stereotype that this plays to if it means I’m more likely
to be viewed as some sort of go gettin’ entrepreneurial type. But I have to say, like dairy farmers preaching

the benefits of milk, this statistic shouldn’t be seen as any real reflection of the glory of glasses. Much like
the stereotype it encourages, it’s pretty much ridiculous. That said, for the aforementioned reasons,
such as no longer being able to run around in the world with my eyes glued to the ground, Ill be
the first to say that glasses have probably made me, or at least made me appear, to be a more
confident person. As if the benefit of actually being able to discern street signs and read
warning labels wasn’t enough—go figure.

Later days,
Croreha hans

Editor in chief
The Other Press