OPINION: Eye Defect is not a Death Sentence

By: Soliu Arowolo Adam.

At the age of 20, I started using medicated eye glasses. That was three years after I graduated from senior secondary school. It came as a surprise, because I do see clearly during my secondary school days either from far or close distance. But, things changed afterwards. I can't see distanced object anymore, so I opted for a medical eye glasses in 2018, when I was about to be enrolled in a six-months computer engineering training. 

I opted for the glasses for two reasons : (1) Because, I couldn't see far objects clearly anymore (2) Because my eyes became sensitive to rays of light from computer systems. So , I went for eyes test in one private hospital. With my mother being my escort. I was given a concave lens to correct my short sighted eyes. The lens were also tinted so that the rays from the computer system will be controlled.

Each time I wanted to use the computer in my training center, despite the fact that I couldn't see far objects, I don't put on the glasses. I feared being looking strange to people with the glasses. 

I attend the computer training center five working days in a week and usually spent not less than 6hrs in the training center with the glasses on my eyes. As time passed by, I started getting used to the glasses. Without them, *the world outside the glasses becomes strange* in my eyes. Then I extended the work of the glasses by using them whenever I want to watch football matches in the viewing center. I'm a die-hard and garrulous fan of Real Madrid. I always stay lively from the beginning of Real madrid matches to the end. So, I was much recognized in the football viewing center. Times without number, many supporters will sarcastically say to me; "Adam, you better remove that your glasses, perhaps it's the reason why you can't see clearly". They often say that in retaliation whenever i mock the team they were supporting. 

Though they do say that not with the intention of making me feel bad, but with the intention of enjoying being sarcastic to me. 

However, Many are not aware that my glasses were my third and fourth eyes until when I started putting them on often to watch football matches, it became dawn on them that my eyes depend on the glasses to see clearly. 

To be sincere, they enjoyed using my glasses to mock me more than any other thing. But apart from the football viewing center, no any other place that my eye glasses were used as subject of mockery against me. I hardly put them on at home or whenever I want to go out. 

My mother would often wonder why I don't put on the glasses around, despite the fact that I can't see clearly without them.  She always reminds me that there are many young people out there whose eyes also depend on glasses just like me and they do wear them with pride.

My father would often complain over the long hours I spend reading books with glasses. I'm the type, who enjoyed spending his leisure time with my mother and during that time my books were always with me. Though I'm a science student, but I find it hard to believe in the science theory which stated that long hours spend in staring at books do affect the vision. I will wonder why many of my friends who spend almost all the hours of their lives reading books had no any problem with their visions. Many of my friends who obviously read more than I do, still see clearly than me.

I moved to Sokoto around October 2019 in anticipation of getting admission from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. But despite the changed of environment, I still hold on to my old habits of the usage of my eye glasses.  

When I gained admission and started attending lectures in 2020, I realized that the power of my glasses have greatly reduced. They couldn't see object from the long distance very clear as before. I didn't know what reduced the vision power of the glasses and I didn't ask anyone. So I opted for another eyes glasses in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital. I underwent eyes tests and one of my elder brothers paid the bills charged for the tests and my new eye glasses. He gave me a frame which didn't look like a medicated eyes glasses' frame which I took to the hospital and it was powered.

Since then, I can't do without my glasses. I put them on all day. It was when I came to Sokoto that I got to know that many young people with eye defect like me don't like putting on their glasses because it makes them look strange and also it become subject of mockery against them.

However, Eye defect is not a death sentence. And as my mother always wish, I now put on my medicated eye glasses with pride.