I don't know about you, but without my contacts or glasses, I'm pretty much through. I wear one of the two for the entire day with one 15 minute exception: The Shower. For the most part, showering is a mechanism of memory, but there are some things that get a little tricky for the visually challenged.
One of my biggest peeves, is shampoo and conditioner bottles that look identical. I'm sure the folks who came up with the design figured they were just killing two birds with one stone, but they were not thinking about the large percentage of the population that's practically blind while sudsing up. Rather than waiting until enough water droplets have accumulated over the identifying word to magnify it to my prescription strength, I just pick one and then have to bring it close to my face to find out if it's my lucky day to get the shampoo on the first try. All it would take would be to change the color of the bottle or the cap. A Braille label perhaps? I do have to applaud a few manufacturers, namely Suave for coming up with the clever idea to have the cap on the top of the shampoo and on the bottom of the conditioner. The guy who came up with that idea not only had his thinking cap on, but also most likely...his glasses.
Shaving is just downright hazardous. The hardest part here is that you can't see, say for instance, where you nicked yourself yesterday. You know it's around your ankle somewhere, but you just can't quite squint hard enough to figure out where. And you end up shaving over it again. I really haven't come up with any solutions on shaving other than a magnifying glass attached to your razor or prescription strength goggles. Both, I think have merit. The caveat on the goggles is that you would have to go to work with goggle outlines on your face reminiscent of 3 hours in chemistry lab. That is of course the only negative, as everyone loves to wear goggles. Kidding. :)
Oh, and heaven forbid you drop a razor or knock off the bar soap that completely blends in with the shower floor. You're blindly feeling along the floor like Mrs. Magoo, narrowly escaping cutting your finger or slipping on the Invisible-To-You Soap.
For those 20/20 visioners reading this, (i.e. Kristin who wears glasses solely for the look ;)): First, I'm jealous. Second, I am posting this so you can feel our pain. Third, if you're involved in some sort of shower product legislation for the blind, I'm making you aware of the situation.
For my visually challenged compadres, I'm just looking for an amen.
awww, my glasses, i should get those out (and btw - don't feel so sorry for yourself i too have used conditioner in place of shampoo)
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? I absolutely LOVE wearing goggles. Of course, I am a chemistry teacher! :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe there could be a product not much unlike the color-change mouth rinses that tell kids where to brush that would take care of that part where you blindly (no pun intended) stab at your skin with a razor, hoping for the best. Maybe make a product that will show you where you've already been, and turn another color when you've broken the skin...hmmmm...
ADW, I like your thinking! And while we're at it I think we should make sure the colors used are not green or red - just to make provisions for our other visually impaired friends that are Red & Green Colorblind. And maybe a patent on Rx Goggles? :)
ReplyDeleteI actually put my contacts in immediately before getting in the shower. However with this method you run the extremely hazardous risk of wiping the lens out of your eye into the unknown. Several times I have had soap/shampoo/etc attack me in the eye, and I begin rubbing forcefully. Forcefully enough to fold up my contact and shove it in the far reaches of my eyelid. Panic strikes. I cannot safely remove it without a mirror. I have to jump out of the shower trailing water and suds everywhere to remove the lens. It is pretty traumatic. Yet I still use this method, why?
ReplyDeleteHa! Jana I was wondering when you were going to chime in! Yikes, that method is frightening especially for an eye phobe like me. If I take a shower with my contacts they are GLUED to my eye. The steam must make some kind of adhesive paste...it freaks me out.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you! I have been wearing glasses and contacts since I was 10. Bathing is a pain in the rear. I used to hate showers. I recently bought my new Steam Shower. It has made my mornings a lot better. I have a fog free mirror that helps me put my contacts on. It is also a real treat to be able to catch the traffic on the built in TV.
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