Welcome to my Friday’s Rants from the Soap Box in my Living Room. A small space in the week where I can have a chunter about things that have made me twitch with annoyance or made me question if the world has gone mad or not….
I also linked up with MummyBarrow for her Ranty Friday. You can find her blog and link up if you’d like to join in. A good rant can be therapeutic. Click on the link at the end to join in!
Before I start my rant, I want to make sure that anyone reading this understands that I am not ranting about people who have laser eye surgery. If you have opted for this, and it worked for you, then I am delighted. My beef is with the annoying adverts…
We have all seen the adverts, promoting laser eye surgery, to correct your vision, if you need to wear prescription spectacles or contact lenses.
This one for example?
In principal, I have no issue, with laser eye surgery, or someone wanting or needing to have it done. If you decide you don’t want to have to wear glasses any more, or are fed up with your contact lenses, then by all means, if you can afford to have the surgery, then go for it.
What annoys me, as someone who has worn glasses, since I was a very young child, and then contact lenses from the age of 16 is the way these adverts imply that my life is somehow incomplete or lacking enjoyiment, becasue, shock, horror, I WEAR GLASSES (Or contact lenses) and I must need to do something about such a terrible thing in my life!
Phrases like “transform your life” and “help you enjoy life more” are bandied about. Also, the implication is that you can’t possibly enjoy activities such as swimming, exercises classes, going on dates, etc. because you wear glasses or contact lenses! Do people really feel that their life is in such a bad way, because they have to wear glasses or lenses?
REALLY? I have, as I said above, been wearing glasses, or glasses and contact lenses since I can remember, and at no point, have I felt that my life was hindered or not enjoyable because of it. Yes, I do have to wear goggles whilst swimming, but then, even if I had perfect vision, I probably would anyway, who wants chlorine pool water in their eyes? yes, I do have prescription sun glasses, but, really, they sit in a case, in my bag, all the time, and if I happen to be out, and about and need them, I whip them out and put them on, hardly life changing, and no less hassle than reaching for a pair of non prescription ones if I had perfect vision.
I would like to point out, that I have actually had corrective laser surgery on my eye, in 1996, I had surgery on the muscles around my left eye, to improve a worsening eye muscle condition, and to stop the slight squint that I had in childhood returning. I opted for this as part of a clinical trial, for adults who needed corrective surgery for mild strabismus issues that had not been surgically corrected in childhood. It was not what is being offered now in these adverts. It was painless and easy, and did make a difference to my vision, but I still have to wear glasses. I currently wear contact lenses that can be worn continually for 3 weeks, night and day, I barely know I have them in, I can run, swim, travel, and sleep in them. I really cannot complain that having them is a huge issue for me.
I realise that some people may not love their glasses, and find contact lenses a pain, but, I find it hard to believe, as someone who is a glasses wearer (and is as blind as a bat, without them) that life is really that bad with them!
Am I totally wrong? Maybe if you were bullied for wearing glasses, then laser eye surgery would boost your confidence and be helpful. Maybe if you were a scuba diver, or competitive swimmer, or something like that, then laser surgery so you don’t have to wear prescription goggles or protect your eyes would be a understandable option, but really, is it the end of the world for the rest of us meer mortals to wear glasses?
I’d love to hear what you think? Have you had laser eye surgery? Are you miserable wearing specs and lenses? Are you considering it?
Don’t forget to click on the linky below to join in or read other people’s rants…
I agree with you! Laser eye surgery is a personal choice but suggesting people who wear glasses have a lesser quality of life is poppycock!
The adverts work for me Im afraid… but then, Im EXTREMELY short sighted (- 6 in both eyes, with astigmatism & sight deteriorating every time I get checked). When I wake up in the middle of the night because of the children, or Im in an environment where my glasses or lenses naturally dont fare well, eg swimming pool, beach, out running, on a plane, all the way through hayfever season, I feel very, very vulnerable. Rooting around trying to find my ‘eyes’, literally as blind as a bat, all it would take is a knock of those glasses off my head/a contact lense to fall out & i’d become ‘unsafe’ because I wouldnt see a florescent bus coming at me, or my kids…
To wake up with clear sight & not having to poke something on my face or in my eye first would be wonderful feeling. If I felt sure it would work, Id have laser surgery done. But, if I wasnt quite so short-sighted, I’d be happy with my glasses (I like the look of them) or my lenses (i dont mind them). I think it’s just the thought that if I had surgery, I’d not be so vulnerable or possibly made so, due to my virtual blindness, ever again. For me, the prospect of good natural sight is like being offered a super-power!
I think unfortunately, not everyone is suitable for the surgery (I am not, we did look into it, my eye sight is also pretty crappy) and they don’t make that clear in the adverts, and some of the companies have actually gotten into trouble for carrying out surgery on patients who aren’t actually suitable, who have not had good results. My ophthalmologist says it doesn’t give you perfect vision, but nearly perfect, but he did say it depends on the individual. I think, it should be available on the NHS for those that are suitable, and it should be far better regulated. I just object to being told my life must be crap, by a TV advert, if you know what I mean?
They are annoying, I wear glasses and yes sometimes I can find it a bit annoying, but to be honest I don’t enjoy life less because of wearing them at all 🙂
Exactly! I have no memory of not wearing glasses! So what! I haven’t missed out on anything by having them! yet more people image obsessed!