The first day of first grade, our teacher asked her students to raise our hands if we couldn’t see what she had written on the chalk board. I raised my hand, so she directed me to a desk closer to the front. When I still couldn’t make it out, she told me to walk toward the chalk board until I could read what was written. I stopped about a foot away from it. By the next day, mom took me to the optometrist to get my first pair of corrective lenses.
Around when the above photo was taken, while sitting in the optometrists chair as he made adjustments to my new pair of glasses, I gazed out the window and was amazed at how clear things were. “Look mom,” I exclaimed, “it’s snowing!”
Hard contact lenses were a new technology when I was fitted for them at the age of fourteen, and eventually I had gas-permeable (more comfortable) contacts. As I aged, I continued to wear contacts and somewhere in my fifties I needing to add reading glasses. Through all these years, I was never able to just open my eyes in the morning and see anything unless it was at the end of my nose!
Then, in 2017, I had cataract surgery and my cloudy natural lenses were replaced with artificial lenses that had been engineered with my needed correction. It was like magic! When I woke up I could see everything around me perfectly. Truly a new experience!
When I was out and about I could see many more details distinctly, even in the distance. It was much like being transformed from living in a photo with the background a blur, to having the clarity of a telephoto lens.
Thank you Anne Sandler for this challenge and your introduction with a photo tour of Australia! Anne asked us to show and tell about a new experience we had, which stumped me for quite a while. I had just ordered a new camera for myself with a larger capacity telephoto lens, and thinking about it opened up the idea to relate my journey with near blindness. With each new technology, from glasses to contacts to cataract surgery, I have experienced the world around me with fresh acuteness. Being able to see is a joy – a privilege that I have treasured all my life.
Lindy Low LeCoq 
Well said. And that from a cyclops. Photography makes eyes better.
Thanks Ralph!
Wonderful post, Lindy. To see the world clearly…truly a gift.
Thank you, Patti!
What a fantastic take on the challenge, Lindy. I can only imagine the feeling of you actually seeing snow (real snow) for the first time. And I can’t even imagine the magic following your surgery. This was special. Great interpretation.
Thank you, Donna! It was a bit of a stretch, but then again a true story.
I thought it was perfect.
This is a wonderful response to my challenge Lindy. I’m so glad you can finally wake up and see the world as it is. That is a fantastic new experience!
Thank you Anne. At first I wasn’t sure this was an appropriate response, however the feedback I’m receiving quells my doubts!
😊
Wow Lindy. We SO take things for granted until a story like yours! Great to hear you’re seeing better than ever! Perfect for your new camera!
Thank you, Tina! I’m going to take my time and really learn how to operate this camera!
Great ‘share’ Lindy. Excellent.
Thank you, John. I feel blessed!