As preppers, we try to prepare for what we can. We stock up food, water, and first aid supplies. We try to learn and practice new skills. We read and read some more books and blogs. We do what we can.

However, all the prepping in the world will not do you any good if you can’t see well.

This happened to me recently. I noticed over the last couple of months that I was overly tired at night, having headaches frequently and lasting for quite a while, and reading/doing computer work at night was getting difficult. I didn’t take me too long to realize that I should probably schedule myself an eye doctor visit.

I haven’t been to the eye doctor in about 15ish years. I simply didn’t see a need to go if I wasn’t having any issues. I am pretty good about taking my kids every year because all of them wear glasses for one reason or another. I wore glasses for a couple of years as a kid, but I grew out of that problem. However, 15 years is too long to go without going to the eye doctor for me.

I found out that I will need glasses for seeing up close and far away, but a pair of cheap reading glasses will work just fine for now. Down the road, I will need more and I am aware of that. I also have a bit of a light sensitivity issue, but I wear sunglasses religiously so that should be fine. I can 100% attribute this problem to being on the computer a lot, a mobile device that I use too much, and being a bookworm. My eyes are simply tired of working that hard to see.

As preppers, our eyes are one of our most important assets. We need to see and see well! How else are you going to know the difference between an edible plant and a poisonous plant? How are you going to know if someone is a friend or foe from a distance? And if you have to shoot something, you want to hit the target the first time, right? You certainly wouldn’t want to confuse salt with sugar! You need your sight!

I know some of you are going to be stubborn about this. Even if you go to the eye doctor, you aren’t going to wear glasses. Most people can wear contacts, but I still think you need to have a pair of glasses on hand. Some people would be candidates for eyesight correction surgery which would be worth looking into if you can afford it.

With having a prepper mindset, here are some things I would recommend:

1. If you are a contact wearer, get as many sets of contacts as you can. I understand prescriptions change, but you are better off with them than without them. Also, if you contact wearer, you should have 2-3 pairs of glasses as a backup in case you run out of contacts or contract an eye disease like pink eye.

2. As mentioned in #1, you should have at least 2-3 pairs of glasses. Glasses can be really expensive, however, there are ways to save money. You can ask for your prescription from your eye doctor and order glasses online for a small fraction of the cost of glasses from the eye doctor. You can look at places like EyeBuyDirect or GlassesUSA for glasses that are much cheaper than in the office.

3. Ask for your exact prescription from the eye doctor and keep it somewhere safe. You should have in your home medical files and on a card in your wallet. You just never know where and when you might have to replace your glasses!

4. Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses are important to your eyes too. You will not strain your eyes so much in the sunlight and will avoid snow blindness in the winter while driving/being outdoors. If you need prescription sunglasses to see, you can shop at those aforementioned places for a good deal.

5. Always wear eye protection when working with shop equipment, chainsaws, guns, and chemicals. You should always protect your eyes when there is a chance you could injure them in any way. Eye injuries can ruin your sight, cause blindness, or cause you to lose an eye altogether. Not worth the risk!

6. Along with having glasses, you should invest in a good eye glasses repair kit. While you might not be able to fix everything, you can replace or tighten screws, replace nose pads, and more.

I encourage you all to make an appointment with your local eye doctor today. You really don’t want to be in a situation where you can’t see or read well and you knew you could have prevented it. You might also feel better when you start wearing glasses too!

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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