This report mentions alcohol addiction

 

 

 

This little tale is one of many light hearted dilemmas I would so often find myself in during my drinking days. I had an appointment for my eye test so I set off on my travels. I was hungover from the night before, but I knew the opticians was next door to Wetherspoons. “Oh what joy” I thought, “I can nip in there for a couple of vodkas just to take the edge off and settle my nerves”.

I then proceeded to the opticians. I apologised for the smell of booze and continued to waffle on about a fictitious lunch I’d had with friends. After all, I didn’t want them to think I was ‘a lush’. God forbid!

I collected my glasses the following week, tried them on and they seemed ok but to be honest I was more interested in getting a drink next door than I was in reading the small print on a piece of paper. A few months down the line I started to have severe headaches and blurred vision. The GP asked if my eye test was up-to-date and I said yes because it was.

I was sent for scans and various tests and eventually the consultant decided that I needed an operation on my sinuses so I went along with his decision and had the op done. It didn’t make much difference so I just had to put up with the headaches. Then I got into recovery and when my next eye test was due I obviously went along for it, but this time I was sober.

The optician compared new and old prescriptions and was totally baffled. He said the specs I’d been wearing weren’t suitable for my eyesight and had no idea how or why this had happened. He couldn’t believe I’d been wearing the wrong strength glasses for two years and was full of apologies. It didn’t register with me straight away how this had happened but slowly things started to add up. So the moral of this story is never have an eye test while intoxicated as it could lead to unnecessary surgery.

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