Today in NY it’s cloudy with blustery wind, which is whipping up all the dust and grit from months of the local highway department sanding our roads to melt this Winter’s snow. Since it was above 40 degrees, with occasional very bright sun, what felt like a welcoming inviting day, I went out for a walk this morning.
As the wind tossed my hair and my eyes delighted on the edges of lawns beginning to be visible beneath the receding snow, I was aware of all the dirt flying through the air. I blinked a few times, grateful that I wasn’t wearing contact lenses as I had for so many years. This type of weather would have been extremely irritating, as the little particles flew around and into my eyes, then got trapped under my contact lenses, which mashed the dirt into my sensitive eyeballs. No matter how many tears I cried, my visual system trying desperately to wash away the invader, I usually wound up having to take my contacts completely out, and wash my by then bright red eyes thoroughly. Sometimes my eyes were so traumatized I could hardly get them to open enough for me to remove the contact lenses! Afterwards my eyes remained tender and sore for a while, as I recall. What a pain, literally!
Today I did get a bit of dust in my eyes, and blinking washed it right away, my eyes working the way healthy eyes are supposed to function. The other thing I noticed was brief peeks of glaring sun as the clouds moved. When I went out grocery shopping later I saw several people with sunglasses, but not for me! My eyes love the sun, knowing it is food for them. I heard a talk just yesterday on the lack of natural full-spectrum sunlight leading to many common diseases, since most people spend most of their time indoors. The report was recommending full-spectrum light bulbs for the home, but how much better to get outside and obtain the real thing, natural sunlight, and for free!
When I wore contacts years ago my eyes were very sensitive to light. I asked the eye doctor about this, who shrugged and said it was common for people wearing contacts. Others who wore contact lenses reported the same effect. Back when I wore glasses as a child, I remember bright sun glaring off them and making it difficult to see. It was like someone shining a floodlight in my eyes. Now my eyes are much more relaxed in the sunshine, not fighting it. Here’s a post on helping someone with extreme sensitivity to bright light, if you’d like more information on that.
So once again, even though my vision is sometimes not as clear as I’d like it to be, I am reminded how much better it is, for my visual system and my entire emotional state, to see well enough without glasses or contacts. I love the progress I’ve made in improving my eyesight, and in treating my eyes well. Congratulate yourself today on some area of progress you’ve made, even if you’re sometimes frustrated not to be at “the finish line” yet. You’re moving in the right direction!
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I wore strong glasses, then contact lenses, from age 5 into my 40s. While making many mistakes, eventually l learned how to improve the way I use my eyes and to see in a more relaxed, healthy manner. It is my pleasure to coach others to do the same. Visit me at https://NancyLNeff.com.