To Wear or Not To Wear

Do you think of your body as a machine that requires regular checks and maintenance as you give to your car? Do you realize that by taking good care of your health you can enjoy your life better, now and in the future? Read on to appreciate what it takes to lead a healthy, happy and productive life.

Saina’s mother was very angry. She just got a call from Saina’s best friend Gopi. Gopi told her that Saina was not wearing her glasses in school. Saina’s mother used to think that her daughter was a responsible girl. She was shocked to know that Saina was not taking responsibility of her own health. She decided to talk to Saina in the evening.

As Saina came down for dinner, she observed that her daughter was looking troubled and upset. She asked her what the matter was. Saina told her that she had been getting headaches daily since past few days. Saina also told her mother that she was finding it difficult to study because of it.

Her mother turned towards her and enquired, “Gopi has informed me that you are not wearing your glasses in the school. This Saturday you are coming with me to the eye doctor.”

Saina was shocked to hear that Gopi had complained to her mom. Her best friend betrayed her. She decided to confront Gopi the next day. She hated going to the eye doctor as whenever she went there he told her that her power had increased. This had happened twice this year, and Saina didn’t want it to happen again.

Next morning she talked to Gopi. Actually, she just scolded Gopi for complaining to her mother behind her back. She asked in disbelief, “What kind of a friend are you? How could you do this to me?”

Gopi explained, “I’m your best friend, the kind of friend who cares. I did all this for your benefit.”

Saina made a face and said, “Get lost and don’t talk to me ever again.” She was very angry and she stopped talking to Gopi.

On Saturday, Saina reluctantly went to her eye doctor. After examining her, the doctor declared that her number had increased again, and it was not a good sign. Her father informed the doctor that she had been getting headaches in the school. The doctor asked Saina whether she was wearing her glasses or not. She nodded her head.

Then he turned towards her and asked, “Do you really wear them all the time?”

She told him that she wore them most of the time. The doctor pressed on, “Why not all the time?”

Poker-faced, Saina told him, “I look like an owl in glasses.”

He asked, “What do you mean?”

She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “They just don’t suit me.”

He then asked whether someone in her school had teased her about it.

She blurted, “No, that’s not the situation as I don’t wear them in the school.”

The doctor then explained her the importance of the specs. He gently said, “Saina you know that you have a responsibility to take care of your health and education. And this regular increase in your power is not a good sign at all. See your eyesight is yours and it is going to stay with you as long as you will live. You seem to be a responsible young lady. You should not compromise on such an important issue because of silly reasons. You must wear your glasses to improve your vision and life.”

Saina thoughtfully said, “I will.”

The doctor studied her response and said, “Good! And remember, not wearing specs can result in a difficult condition called lazy eye, wherein the stronger eye overtakes the other eye. And it becomes incurable with age.”

Saina nodded. Then the doctor gave her a few real life examples where people suffered serious vision problems by ignoring specs at a young age.

Saina could relate to the examples of known persons. She understood the importance of glasses in her life. She started wearing them regularly. Initially, it was a bit awkward for her but slowly she got used to it. Many of her friends wore glasses. She thought that how stupid she was earlier, and how much time she had wasted to understand such a little issue.

As she wore her glasses regularly, her power stopped increasing. She realized that Gopi was right and apologized to her. Gopi forgave her and the two girls became best friends again.