It was a beautiful morning. I got ready for school, had my breakfast and said goodbye to my mum. As I stepped outside and walked towards the school, one of my classmates joined me and we started talking about random things. Just then, he asked, “Will you go for a check-up?”

I asked, “What check-up?”

“Don’t you remember? The eye specialists are coming today. They will check each student’s eyesight and prescribe glasses or anything else they might need.”

I was reluctant at first, but I thought, “Why not have a check-up? It would be a different experience.”

“Yeah, it would be fun. I will definitely go,” I replied.

After the assembly, it was announced that we had to form a line and go to the auditorium, where the doctors were seated with their equipment. We made a queue and excitedly walked towards the hall. As we entered, I was stunned for a moment because I had never seen those machines before in my life.

A sudden fear struck me: “What if my eyes are weak?”

The check-up began. One by one, the students took their turns. The doctors prescribed glasses to some while others needed nothing. I noticed a couple of students looking disheartened after learning that their eyesight was weak.

But all my friends came out fine. I felt relieved and convinced myself that I would be fine, too.

Then it was my turn. My heart began to race. They asked me to place my chin on a machine and look inside. After that, I was sent to another station where I had to read letters on a chart. Some of them were blurry and a few were almost invisible.

Soon, I learnt that I had a problem with my eyesight and that my prescription was –0.75. I felt heartbroken when they said I would have to wear glasses.

I went back to my classroom and kept looking at my classmates, then at myself, thinking that from now on I would look different. The lessons changed, and teachers came and went, but I was stuck on the thought of wearing glasses. I just couldn’t get it out of my head.

The next day, all those who had been prescribed spectacles received theirs, neatly packed and labelled with their names. I got mine too, but I did not wear them. I simply placed them inside my bag. After a while, the teacher noticed and asked why I was not wearing mine.

With a heavy heart, I told her that I did not like wearing them. She advised me that I had to wear them; otherwise, my eyesight would become weaker.

With tearful eyes and an aching heart, I replied, “Okay, Miss.”

As the days passed, I only wore my glasses during classes and removed them afterwards. After two months, I started feeling pressure and fatigue while reading or watching TV, so I told my parents. They took me for a check-up. That was then that I found out my eyesight had weakened.

As time went on, I heard about a doctor who claimed that laser treatment could remove the need for glasses. I was very happy and told my family that I wanted laser treatment so that I wouldn’t have to wear spectacles.

The next day, we went to the clinic. I was hopeful that my glasses would finally be gone. But the doctor explained that a person must be at least 22 years old to undergo the procedure. I begged him to help me, saying that my eyes hurt while wearing glasses, but he said there was no other option.

When I returned home, I stayed worried for many days. My mother understood my anxiety. She comforted me and reminded me that I should be grateful that I can see and to think about those who cannot. Her words helped me accept the situation. They motivated me to move forward.

Months later, my prescription increased to –3.5, but by then I had adjusted and asked for contact lenses. I wore them for some time, but one day, they got scratched by accident. My eyes hurt so badly and I also got an infection. My mother took me for a check-up, where I was given medicine as well as spectacles again.

I felt broken and disappointed.

That day, I sat quietly the whole evening and thought about why I was so sad and why I was turning it into such a big issue. It was nothing more than an aid, something completely normal and common. Then I realised that it is often society that makes people feel different. We start to believe that wearing an aid makes us less than others, but the reality is nothing like that.

So, I decided to ignore that pressure and smiled to myself. From that moment on, I chose to see my spectacles not as a weakness, but as something that simply helps me see the world more clearly.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 14th, 2026