I can see clearly now... the blurs are gone.

My boy started off his school year full of enthusiasm, but his grades weren't what they usually are. I questioned him but got no answers... until last week. That's when the letter from the County Health Department arrived saying that he had failed his school screening vision test. Aha! So I immediately called my eye doctor and set up an appointment for last Saturday.

ZBoy was understandably nervous. Most doctor visits involve some kind of pain and these were his EYES we were talking about. I talked him through it, reassuring him that no part of the exam would hurt. First up was the room of three tests.

In this room, he had the focus test, the color test and the glaucoma test (with the puff of air). Not too scary. Then we went into the exam room with the big lens goggles. Z had to read the chart on the wall and he couldn't read anything below the first line. It turns out that he couldn't really see anything past the end of his arm! No wonder he was having trouble in school... he wasn't able to see the black board. The doctor flipped different lenses in front of his eyes and at one point he exclaimed excitedly, "I can see the bottom line!!!! I can READ it!" Thrilling stuff!

After the prescription was set, he got drops in his eyes to dilate them. While the drops did their thing, we went to pick out some frames. After weighing the pros and cons, he settled on a plastic frame without the little nose thingies in a medium brown color. They're quite nice.

A quick trip back to the doctor's exam room and a look in his eyes to see that they were healthy - and we were on our way!

He looks pretty odd with those big pupils (they were about halfway back to normal at this point) but he sure does rock the shades!

We went out to lunch afterwards at his favorite place where he munched the best chicken tenders in town and mused about what it would be like to see "for real".

I figured that as long as we were taking care of business, I'd get him a physical too since it had been nearly two years. He was much less enthusiastic about this appointment.

Especially after he found out he was going to get shots too. Five of them. He went a little dramatic while waiting for the shots after his exam....

Afterwards, he allowed as it really wasn't that bad and proudly showed off his bandages.

After his doctor appointment, it was time to pick up the new glasses!!!

He was so excited!!!! He wandered around the frame displays while anxiously awaiting his own to come out.

Michelle the Optomitrist handed them over for ZBoy to try them on. A little adjustment was needed and then she brought out his new case, cleaning cloth and spray cleaner for them, exacting a promise that he would take good care of his glasses.

He's so pleased with his glasses and the fact that he can actually see now! He rode all the way home reading things far away - just because he could.