The entire world is a blur, and all the men and women are merely shapes.

I state this with the backing of fellow high-power myopics.

The most common ocular disorder worldwide and the leading cause of visual impairment in children, myopia has been a constant companion for as long as I can remember, and is almost like a villainous sibling that I never wanted but got stuck with.

Being spectacle-clad all the time and being practically helpless and clueless without them, the constraints faced by myopics aren’t a few. To start with, losing your spectacles is a problem. How do you search for your spectacles when you can’t see anything without them?

While spectacles aid in every activity at every moment of the day, there are some simple routine activities that aren’t specs-friendly, and therefore become a chore. The soap is a blur, the tap is a blur and so is the mug, I have to depend on my other senses to take a bath. My dancing toes and the money my parents spent on classical dance lessons seems to have gone down the drain – I can’t wear make-up and spectacles and dance on the stage in front of a crowd, and I can’t without them, I wouldn’t know where to look!

It seems like god gave me talent, but made sure I couldn’t use it.

It’s also a social handicap. I go to the beach and I need someone to hold my hand and take me into the water. I have had the unfortunate experience of losing a pair of spectacles in the water when I was happily playing in the waves, unaware the two lenses on a frame aren’t my own eyes, only their aides. Since then, I make sure I don’t frequent the beach, and I have my trusted aides with me to wade into the water. Also, in the pool, or in any water body, I keep my head above water! I avoid amusement parks – I can only experience only with my other four senses.

When I go to the salon, I feel like I should have carried a white cane to spare me the embarrassment of having my hairdresser guide me from one chair to another. There are several no-spectacles zones  in life, and many times I find myself avoiding such places to spare myself embarrassment.

When it comes to sunglasses, there aren’t many brands who offer a line of power sunglasses for those with a very high power. The one that do have their own specifications, and their prices are far too hot.

I can’t recognise people, not even my family, when I am not wearing my spectacles. I don’t mean to disrespect them and it isn’t that I have airs or don’t care – I just can’t see them!

Without spectacles, the world’s all a blur. There are no longer humans, objects, and things; there are just shapes, colours, combinations of colours, and shapeless movement of colours.

I can imagine anything I want, make out what I can of them, depending on my other senses to decide what they are.

Why don’t I wear contact lenses or get corrective surgery, you ask? I’ll ask you a question – did you kill your sibling just because he got you in trouble one time or two?

Sneha Bala is happy-go-lucky trying to flip the world the sunny side up, when not busy reading or getting high on chocolate.

Featured image:  Dmitry Ratushny / Unsplash