Lunch

The Gift of Sight

Having my pupils dilated makes me feel so worthless.

Example one: I wanted to have this little bag of snacks alongside my salad for lunch today. Snikiddy was so kind as to send me out a little baggie to try because they know how much I love snacks. And how much I love to say the word Snikiddy.

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So, I poured said cheesy snackies on a little plate and was walking across my living room with it when BAM! Dexter ran into me. I lost my balance because my pupils were so dilated and the cheesey baked fries ended up ground into my carpet.

I didn’t take a photo because I couldn’t see straight. It took me about ten minutes to clean up because Dexter kept head butting me and I was seeing double. I finally sat down to eat and had to position my plate three feet from me so I could successfully stab my cherry tomatoes, turkey breast and Athenos feta cheese.

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Luckily, I didn’t accidentally dump it over the side of the balcony as I was blindly shooting a photograph.

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Example two: My editor in New York called me at one o’clock for our conference call about my book edits.

I couldn’t read my computer screen.

….and so it goes. On the plus side, my contact prescription has gone down from a -6 to a -5.75 so we are making progress. It’s almost like that one time I fell asleep wearing my contacts after a long night of dancing at an Irish pub in Charleston, South Carolina. I woke up at 7:15 the next morning and pronounced my eyesight miraculously healed. My epiphany lasted only about two minutes though before a slight burning sensation took over my left cornea.

Watch out world, here I come!

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  • Ellie
    July 13, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    Ha I’m the same way! I used to run without my contacts in first thing when I got up. A friend of mine would tell me things like- left to avoid the puddle- or sometimes just yell “Watch Out”

  • Camille
    July 13, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    Haha, I love the story about the Irish Pub.
    I used to occasionally run and exercise without contacts but now I can’t be without them or my glasses for even a minute of my day!

  • Jessica @ How Sweet
    July 13, 2010 at 1:47 pm

    My mom HAS to drive me to and from the eye dr. Having my eyes dilated is the worst.

  • Evan Thomas
    July 13, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    Wow! a 6?! That’s really bad. I think one of my eyes is a 3 and I feel blind without contacts

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
    July 13, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    I consider myself on the verge of blindness and have -4.0 in both eyes. I can’t even imagine -6.0. At least it made for a good story!

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    July 13, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    I hate getting my pupils dilated. Good thing it only lasts for a little while 😉

  • Kacy
    July 13, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    People with perfect eyesight certainly don’t know how well they have it!
    I have to say your blind food pics are quite impressive 🙂

    • hemp jogger
      July 13, 2010 at 6:14 pm

      ditto!

  • Ann @ Appalachian Appetites
    July 13, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    You are hilarious and always brighten my day!

  • Anya @ Fitness & Sunshine
    July 13, 2010 at 1:55 pm

    Aww, I hope your pupils will be OK soon! 🙂

  • Kelly
    July 13, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    Oh no, be careful! I’m waiting to wake up one day and need glass. Good thing I think they’re super cute. Hope your eyes feel better pronto.

  • The Wife of a Dairyman
    July 13, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    I feel the same way! My arms are not long enough anymore:)

  • The Wife of a Dairyman
    July 13, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    I feel the same way. My arms are no longer long enough!

  • Daisy
    July 13, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    hahaha. you just described one to many drunken nights with contacts in. since i only started wearing them in college – professional drinking + amateur contact wearer = worst mornings ever.

  • Michelle @ NewLeafEats
    July 13, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    Your salad looks like a salad I once made with spinach, turkey slices, pom seeds, clementines, and parmesan. It was sooo good!

  • Melissa Cari @ Miles for Markets
    July 13, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    This post made me laugh out loud. Totally have had those mornings….and the punishment of bloodshot eyes for the days that followed. Ohhh college nights 🙂

  • Angela (ohsheglows)
    July 13, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    bahahaa love that last little story

  • Kiera E
    July 13, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    we have matching contact prescriptions! i feel the need to share mainly because i too have lived a life where people’s response to your prescription number is “wow! that’s really high” or “OMG! You’re BLIND!” i also hope to one day get Lasik and never have to deal with contacts or glasses anymore!

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
    July 13, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Yikes! Good thing I’ve never had my pupils dilated because I’m already a klutz WITH my sight in tact. 😉

    At least you still managed to make a delicious looking salad!

  • Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg
    July 13, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    Ooh, sorry about the book edits 🙁 That sucks! Hope you gain sight soon!

  • alicia
    July 13, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    You are so funny! I love that you can laugh at yourself. We should all be that way.

  • Gretchen
    July 13, 2010 at 2:56 pm

    Ha, I totally did the same thing in college! Forgot to take my contacts out one drunken night, woke up the next morning and put my glasses on and went, “Hey, I don’t need glasses! I can see!”

  • Courtney
    July 13, 2010 at 3:02 pm

    Oh I feel you with the dilation! That is absolutely the worst!

    What are the other veggies in that salad? It looks fantastic! I would love some more salad ideas as I usually pack one everyday for lunch.

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
    July 13, 2010 at 3:07 pm

    I’ll make you feel better. I’m -7.0 in each eye. See, you’re not so blind at all. Actually I was -7.5 in my left eye but recently took it down. It’s all the computer use! I swear, my doc said going too high too often (from staring at the computer all the time) can be bad, so she lowered my prescription. I’ll take it though.

  • Molly
    July 13, 2010 at 3:11 pm

    So I’m not the only one that thinks their vision has suddenly been cured…and then realized their contacts are still in.

  • Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
    July 13, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    Haha, that bar story is soooo funny!!

  • Staceyhttp://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/
    July 13, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    A trip to the eye doctor how fun. 🙁

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing
    July 13, 2010 at 3:35 pm

    So funny!!! I’ve been loving your posts lately!

  • Paige (Running Around Normal)
    July 13, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    Doh! I hate getting my pupils dialated! I get a panic attack when they do it, and then hate the world afterward lol

  • theemptynutjar
    July 13, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    Things are real fuzzy for me too. I broke my glasses over a year ago. But unemployment = no health coverage = no eye appts. = eyes getting worse. I figure the fuzziness is “normal” now, I don’t really know any better…but I will surely get a shock when/if one day i get my glasses again.

  • Lisa @ bakebikeblog
    July 13, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    giggle giggle……love that last story 😉

  • Kelsey (Nourishing Noshes)
    July 13, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    I had to drive myself back home after I got my pupils dilated! It was awful! It took 5x as long to get home and I think I ran two stop signs!

  • Heather @ Life, Gluten Free
    July 13, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Why would your pupils be dilated like that? I mean – what do they do to make your pupils dilate? I have to admit, I have perfect vision and I am thankful. My husband, however, does not and has to be careful when he goes to the eye doctor because he is very sensitive to dyes. Last time, the eye doctor refrained from using the dye and instead used a different method for checking his eyes for glaucoma, etc.

  • Erin
    July 13, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    Whatever you do, don’t exercise. The other day after the eye doctor I went to a lifting class at the gym. I couldn’t understand why I felt so dizzy and disoriented–it was because they dilated my pupils. Ugh!

  • Cara
    July 13, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    My hubbie just got laser eye sugery..it’s really cheap here in Korea…So he has been wearing sun glasses inside for a while now. After his tests for the surgery his eyes were so dilated he looked like an alien of sorts! Ha!
    Dilated eyes are the worst feeling…When they eye doctor did it to me at my last appointment I totally passed out! Ha!

  • Nichole
    July 13, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    Finally someone I can relate to! I wear a +8.00 prescription (almost legally blind), and every time I go to the eye doctor they dilate my pupils and I feel like such a dummy for the next 4 hours! Also, I have woken up before after a long night and proclaimed my eyesight has miraculously returned! I even grabbed a book and ran into my parents room to show them that I could read it without my glasses! haha. If only!!

    Love your blog btw!!

  • Morgan @ Life After Bagels
    July 13, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    Your post from earlier totally has me singing “I wear myyyyyy sunglasses at night”. And bf isn’t happy since he thinks I stink at singing

  • Laura (Starloz)
    July 13, 2010 at 5:10 pm

    I’m sorry you are having eye issues.

    I can’t believe your still taking amazing photographs with your eyes!

  • Krystina
    July 13, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    Haha, I love the Irish pub anecdote. I hope your sight restores itself soon!

  • Chelsey
    July 13, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    oh my goodness, this was really funny!

    you are too cute – and those pictures you took were great for not being able to see!

  • Amber
    July 13, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    wow! I am a -5.75 too! I thought I was the only one…all my friends are like -2 or -1.75 and they only THINK they can’t see without their contacts in or glasses on.

  • Mollie
    July 13, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    Hysterical about thinking your eye sight was miraculously fixed! I’ve done that too. If it makes you feel any better my eyes are
    -7.0 and -7.5 Now that sucks!

  • Jenny
    July 13, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    LOVE your writing style!

  • Annie D @ Annie's Simple Life
    July 13, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    Ugh, I HAAAATE when my pupils are big!!!! You really can’t see a thing. HOW ANNOYING!!

  • hemp jogger
    July 13, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    that is hysterical…and so true! just dont share this w/ my patients, or i’ll never get them to let me put drops in their eyes. while in school, to practice what we do to yall once dilated, we had to dilate one another. well, we also had 2-3 tests per week, so after dilations and bright-ass lights, we had to go try to study. but very sorry about your snack :/

  • Sarah
    July 13, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    I’ve got -7.5 so I definitely feel your pain! Or your blindness 🙂

  • Stephanie
    July 13, 2010 at 6:39 pm

    I scratched my cornea once after a “long night out” and overnight adventure sleeping in them (I was in NYC, what’s a girl to do?!) and it was the worstttt… had to fly home with my eyes bulging/watering uncontrollably/stinging ugh awful. I have lattice degeneration and have had to have laser surgery to repair the “holes” on my eyes about 5 times now – after that you can’t read/see well for 3 days so that makes getting them dialated seem like no big thang! 🙂

  • Lori Lynn
    July 13, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    I went to the Walmart eye dr several years ago, and they didn’t tell me that they were going to be dialating my eyes until I got there. Luckily, I had had a friend come with me as we were going to be doing some grocery shopping afterwords. I remember walking around the store having a hard time reading labels, and she ended up having to drive home even after almost 2 hours! So crazy!

  • Deva (Voracious Vorilee)
    July 13, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    My pupils get really big when dilated – it’s really uncomfortable, even with sunglasses on.

  • Laury @ thefitnessdish
    July 13, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    Awwww…hope you get your sight back soon!!!

    Oh, and thanks for getting that 80’s hit about sunglasses at night in my head, LOL ;P

  • Jess- The Semi Abnormal Gal
    July 13, 2010 at 8:13 pm

    Jenna-girl! You are cracking me up today-love it!

    As a long time contact wearer (like, since the 7th grade long!) I’ve experienced all of the above…sucks when you get paint on your contacts lens too….which I may or may not have done today, just saying.

    Also, I’m sorry/glad to know that you are the one person I am aware of who has a worse prescription than me. Thanks love, for making me feel a tad less blind. 🙂

  • Janna (janna's keeping it real)
    July 13, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    This…this is what I like to call “awesome at life” in my little world!

    I hope your evening went a bit better!

  • Following Julie
    July 13, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    If you find the right doctor with the right equipment, you’ll never have to have your eyes dilated again! My eye doc has this fancy machine that takes a picture of your eye that he blows up on his computer and analyzes — it takes the place of having your eyes dilated and actually produces better results AND the doc can save the images to compare year-after-year to look for subtle changes. I have to pay an extra $20 for the fancy test (versus old fashioned eye dilation) but it’s SO worth it. I will never go to another eye doc who doesn’t have this machine.

  • Amber K
    July 13, 2010 at 9:30 pm

    Luckily, I have never had to have that done. It does not sound like fun!

  • Anne
    July 13, 2010 at 11:56 pm

    The BF is a five-six something here as well – wowsa to you for taking amazing food pics anyways! Is that the test or what…you’re pro! 😉

  • Rebecca
    July 14, 2010 at 4:53 am

    This post made me laugh out loud. I hate going to the eye doctor for check ups. I’m always so indecisive when the doctor pulls that whole “so, which one looks better, this one or this one.” I DON’T KNOW!

    I’ve been thinking about switching to contacts for a while. I think I’d poke myself in the eyes too much.

  • Ella
    July 14, 2010 at 11:28 am

    When I quit my ridiculous job in PR and went back to school my contact prescription dropped from 5.0 to 4.75 in one eye. I attribute that to the (positive) lifestyle change and reduction of unhealthy stress. Maybe you’re experiencing the same thing!