I clearly remember the day I trudged into school with a big change — my very first pair of eye glasses. I was filled with excitement, eager to show them off to my friends. I had chosen pink framed spectacles, thinking they would look fantastic on me. Little did I know that I would become the target of bullying by my classmates.

I had never worn glasses before, so selecting them felt like a fun shopping experience. I got to pick the shape I liked and even chose a pretty pink and purple colour combination.

The reason behind getting the spectacles was my poor eyesight. My teacher had repeatedly scolded me for not completing my work accurately. I couldn’t copy words and proper grammar from the whiteboard because I sat at the back of the class, and everything was too blurry for me to see. My friend would read aloud every phrase to me so that I could write them down, like a parrot.

Wearing those glasses was like stepping into a 3D cinematic world. I could see everything as clearly as if it were crystal clear, and each tiny detail felt like a delightful surprise.

However, on the day I wore my glasses to school, the expectation of everyone being in awe of my transformation never realised. All the boys laughed and I could see them hiding their faces, wearing mischievous smiles while giggling. They even whispered my name and chuckled. The girls were forced to tell me that my glasses looked good on me, but I knew they didn’t. They all lied. Nevertheless, I needed those glasses more than I wanted them.

The following week was somewhat dull because I had started to despise my new glasses. Little did I know that my decision to wear them would change the lives of many of my friends.

A month passed, but my classmates still weren’t used to seeing me in glasses. Insecurity led me to take them off during lunch break or when the classes were dismissed. Then, one mundane Monday, one of my friends looked at me with curiosity.

When I inquired about her fascination, she asked if she could try on my glasses. Without hesitation, I handed them to her. As she put them on, her jaw dropped in amazement.

Puzzled, I asked her what was so surprising. She looked at me and said that everything appeared much clearer with my glasses on. It was as if the math problems on the board were easier to read, and she didn’t have to squint her pupils to see them. I smiled because that was exactly how I felt, some time ago.

Over the next week, when I returned to school, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the same friend of mine had obtained a pair of glasses for herself.

She said, “When I wore these glasses, it was like magic, solving all my problems. I used to wonder why I couldn’t read the words on the blackboard properly, even though I sat in the front row. Your new glasses showed me that I needed to get my eyes checked and wear spectacles too.”

Just a month later, another one of my friends started wearing spectacles too, inspired by my journey. I had no idea that I could make such a positive impact on my classmates as they also gained the confidence to wear spectacles. It was an incredibly heart-warming experience, and helping them was enough to put a smile on my face.

How we look when we wear spectacles is not important, what matters most is what we can see when we wear them.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 16th, 2023