The Eyes Have It

Since I bought a notebook computer and started knitting (two unrelated events that occurred about the same time frame), my eyes have suffered. Or rather, my eyes are causing me to suffer. After an extended period of time at either the PC or the yarn, my vision is extremely fuzzy when I look up. This blurring lasts long enough to be annoying. And sometimes, when I am being particularly obsessive about a heel flap or solitaire game, my eyes positively ache.

I complained about the discomfort at work and discovered that others in my age range suffer from the same affliction. One fellow went to his optometrist, but neglected to mention the blurred vision. He did get a new pair of glasses, but says they don't really help that problem much. Since we have vision insurance here and it had been over two years since my last exam, I decided to visit my optometrist, but unlike Dan, I would whine loud and long about my vision.

Well, it didn't do me any good. My prescription does not need to be changed and "office glasses" would probably not help, but if I wanted to update my current glasses, they could adjust where the blending of my trifocals occurs in order to accommodate the way I hold my head. For $600, I could just change the way I hold my head, so I left empty handed.

At noon, when I picked up my knitting, I deliberately kept my hands closer to my lap than my nose and held my head up while looking down through my glasses. It felt awkward, but doable. But oddly enough, the change in posture affected my knitting, making it more dense. The sock I happened to be working on had required a drop in needle size to obtain gauge, but now it looked like I would have to chuck the 2's and return to the 3's if I wanted the stitches to be consistent. That's assuming I don't drift back into my slumping, head-drooping ways, especially before finishing the second sock. Hmmm. What to do?

So I did what any self-respecting knitter would do: I grabbed a crochet project from the knitting satchel to work on until I make up my mind.