'TWAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE

Facepalm.

Sunday morning I woke up with sticky eyes.  I think it actually had a lot to do with the pollen and what not, but since it was also time to change my contacts, I went ahead and took them out before I got in the shower.  I kept reminding myself to make sure I put in a new pair of contacts, or at least grab my glasses, before heading out to church, but of course in the best tradition of good intentions, I didn't do either one.  It wasn't until we were on our way to church that I noticed that I couldn't see anything clearly**.  Thank goodness I wasn't the one driving!

Since we were already running late, we couldn't turn around and go home, so Steve and I decided that after orchestra practice (and after I got the sound system and announcements set) we'd run back home and I'd get them.  It was kind of a miserable hour for me.  Since I've started keeping my contacts in almost all of the time, I keep forgetting that I can't see squat without corrective lenses. I forget they are in my eyes altogether unless I get something stuck underneath one of them.  Honestly, my vision has gotten so bad that just walking around in the church was hazardous.  I had to feel my way around and I couldn't focus on anyone's face so that I could talk to them.  I'm also pretty sure I looked like I was drunk, because I kept weaving around. Not being able to see clearly was scary!

So we came home, and since we had a few minutes to spare, I decided to pop in a new pair of contacts, which were from a brand new batch that I'd gotten from the eye doctor. I hadn't wanted to waste any of the old ones, so the pair I'd taken out that morning were the last of those and I hadn't tried wearing any of the new ones yet.  My prescription had changed slightly, so I knew that when I put the new ones in, I'd have a little bit of adjusting to do, but I wasn't prepared for the absolute craziness I was greeted with when I put them in.  My vision was just as bad, if not worse, than it had been without the lenses in.  I kept thinking that I'd get used to them, but I didn't.  To be on the safe side, I threw my glasses in my purse in case my vision didn't clear up by the time services started.

When I got to church, I kept trying to clear my eyes, but it wasn't working.  I kept rubbing them and dabbing them with a tissue, but I still couldn't see.  I'd also randomly chosen this day to wear mascara, which I hardly ever do, so I just knew by the time church started I'd look like a sad hooker clown, but there was nothing I could do about it.  I was a little panicked because I was afraid that if I couldn't see, I wouldn't be able to catch the cues that I get from the music director, and that morning we were doing a different kind of service for Palm Sunday, so I finally just pulled out the contacts (and I wish I'd let the hand sanitizer dry before sticking my fingers in my eyes...ouch) and put on my glasses.  Everything was fine after that.

My main concern was that my eye doctor had somehow screwed up my lens order, and how much of a pain in the butt it was going to be for me to get the new prescription set and wait on my new lenses.  Also, I was going to have to wear my glasses every day until they came in.  I know that's a big "First World Problem" but if you've ever gone from fooling with glasses to wearing contacts, you'll understand my chagrin.  So once I got home, I decided to try the contact lenses again, and hopefully my eyes could adjust to them before night services.  I got the left one in, and I was just as blind as I'd been before, and of course that was frustrating.  I pressed on, though, because I was determined.  When I raised my right contact to put it in, though, I saw a tiny line etched in the lens.  I knew that my left contact had a line like that because I have astigmatism in that eye and the lens is weighted, but I'd never seen one on my right lens before.  Of course, then it all made sense.  I'd put my lenses in the wrong stinking eyes!  My sight is completely different in each eye, not to mention that a regular lens doesn't even properly fit over an eye with astigmatism, so no wonder I was completely blind.  I felt like such an idiot.

I don't think I'd feel even a quarter as dumb as I do if it weren't for two things:  One, the boxes are very clearly marked (L) and (R) so that I don't accidentally switch lenses.  Two, Steve asked me, as I was trying to figure out what the deal was, if I had the lenses in the wrong eyes.  I just gave him that "I'm not an idiot" face and went about my business.  Oops.

Anyways, now I can see and I'm feeling much better about life.  *SIGH*  It's things like this that remind me why I will never be a surgeon.

**EDIT: If you're wondering why I didn't realize I didn't have my contacts in before leaving the house, if my vision is as bad as I say, it's because I was in a hurry and my house is small.  Since I'm near-sighted (or whichever one means I can't see far off) I didn't have to look very far to see the things in my house so they didn't seem very blurry to me. Also, I know where everything in my house is, so it didn't dawn on me that I couldn't see it very well anyways.