PaperWork: I have been reminded how important it is to stay focused

“Hello, four eyes.”

“How ya doin', four eyes?”

I could hear them talking already. At school. Them. You know, everybody who would see me suddenly wearing glasses.

I was in seventh grade when I had my first revealing eye exam. When I was condemned to a life of wearing glasses.

I began to imagine walking into a classroom and all heads would turn, followed by a group gasp and some chuckling.

“Four eyes.” I had heard those jabbing words before. Not sure where, but it was coming and I could not hide.

Well ... that didn’t happen. I soon learned glasses were my friend. I could see. All that scratching on the chalkboard I could finally read. The world got much closer.

(Looking back I wonder about my early schooling with fuzzy eyes. I don’t remember squinting at the teacher, but it makes sense. I blame my math grades on that. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

I also learned that I was not alone. No one called me “four eyes” because they also had glasses. And so did many of my teachers.

We would even swap eye info. “Hey, what are you?” ...“Nearsighted,” I’d say. Which was a good thing during my early schooling. I had no problem reading.

I learned to live with glasses. I went through all the modern frame styles with many lens changes to help aging eyes.

I confess, though, there were many times I’d get irritated when I overheated and sweat would puddle on my glasses and then drown my vision.

I tried contacts, looking forward to playing tennis or mowing the lawn without foggy glasses. Plus I could wear sexy sunglasses. But contacts, for me, became a daily science project. I went back to glasses. It was so much easier.

Sadly eyes age along with the body. So you probably know what comes next.

Cataracts. That’s right. That little film that creeps across your eyes and often leads to surgery. I had been warned this was coming. The thought of a knife going into my eye – while I am awake – did not excite me.

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” said the smiling doc. “It’s over in minutes.” I was surrounded by family and friends who said it was painless and easy. They did it, so I could also.

They were right. In fact, it was easier than a teeth cleaning. But ... you will be in eye-drop hell for some weeks after. (“Shut up and just do it,” said everyone.)

Before surgery I wore trifocals. Now I wear no glasses most of the time and can see far away and my computer screen. (I had a lens inserted.)

I can read without glasses sometimes, but it’s easier with “cheaters” – magnifying lenses that look like glasses. I understand now why my farsighted friends have cheaters in every room and probably the car.

I’m getting used to the change but still find myself reaching to take off my glasses. And ... there are times I miss my nearsightedness (restaurant menus).

I was told the world of color would seem more brilliant after surgery. That did not happen. But I do not have to wear glasses.

So my four-eyes years are over. I was happy with that. Then at lunch the other day a friend asked me to put on my cheaters.

I did. He studied me for a moment and made his judgment.

“Yeah, you look better with glasses.”

• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His PaperWork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com. Or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.