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What You Can Learn From Having An Extremely Lazy Eye
By Colleen Overman

(wants us to find a photo of Sally Jessie Rafiele)

I was diagnosed at the ripe age of two with a lazy eye after running head on into a tree. At least that’s how it has been told to me. I cannot clearly remember the tree or the diagnosis, but I do remember growing up with a patch, glasses, and a rather large magnifying glass.

My Lazy Eye Was Lazier Than Most

My lazy eye was, well, extremely lazy. So my good eye was patched in punishment to force the lazy eye to pick up the slack. As a fashionable youngster, I was given two choices, either a black pirate’s patch or a flesh colored Band-Aid type patch. I typically wore the flesh colored option, along with my red glasses (I picked them out), a boy’s haircut (my dad’s idea), topped off with a giant magnifying glass hanging about my neck.

The magnifying glass was worn because my lazy eye was not able to read through my glasses alone, and required an additional accessory before becoming willing or able to get to work. The magnifying glass was not of the Sherlock Holmes variety, rather a large book sized model complete with a harness and legs so that it could hang from my neck and stand upon my chest. Which allowed me to both read unencumbered, and fit in seamlessly if I happened upon a group of senior citizens.

You Would Have Thought I’d Have Been Self-Conscious

The most shocking part of the story is that I didn’t fight wearing my glasses, giant magnifying glass, or patch to school for social reasons. I can clearly remember hating how hot and sweaty my good eye would get beneath the patch, as well as the pain involved in taking it off each evening. Both were unpleasant side effects born from wearing a Band-Aid on your eye daily. Strangely, however, I did not feel self-conscious wearing a patch and magnifying glass to school. (I admittedly thought the red glasses were stylish.) Perhaps even odder, no one made fun of me.

Now, I am positive my mother and teacher aligned and the class was spoken to before I arrived on the scene with patch and magnifying glass, though it has never been confirmed. But what truly blows my mind is that I do not remember being worried about my patch or magnifying glass, it just was what it was. A little annoying maybe, but nothing to get worked up over.

Lesson Learned

I look back now and realize what a wise soul I was. I just accepted my life for what it was. I didn’t bemoan my fate or situation. I did not seek therapy. I just wore my patch, giant magnifying glass, boy’s haircut, and red glasses and expected that life would turn out just fine. I went outside to play when it was time for recess like everyone else. And though the magnifying glass pounded against my chest as I ran with the others, I rarely stopped to pay attention.

Description: Wisdom learned from a child’s experience of having a lazy eye. Humorous and true childhood story of wearing a patch and glasses to school. Learning lesson of accepting what is and expecting life to turn out just fine.