An Eye-Catching Lesson

(I was born with congenital glaucoma, a condition that causes blindness if left untreated. As such, I went through several surgeries as a child and have mostly corrected vision with glasses, although one eye is still a little damaged. Because of these surgeries, my eyes are extremely unique-looking and sometimes startle people – some of them do make comments, but they’re mostly harmless and more curious than anything else. I’ve lived with this disease all my life, so I’m very open and frequently joke about it, but I still get very sensitive when people try to put me on the spot or harass me about it. On this particular day, a customer comes up and places a box of shoes on my register.)

Me: “Good morning, sir. How are you today?”

Customer: “Just fine. And yourself?”

Me: “Doing great.”

(It’s company policy to check shoe sizes and styles to make sure the customer leaves with a matching pair. Because of my condition, I’m extremely near-sighted without my glasses, which is perfect for reading the small tags on shoes.)

Me: *takes off glasses and begins checking shoes*

Customer: *laughs* “You either eat more carrots or put your glasses back on.”

(Normally, I’m fine with joking about my eyesight, but I get very sensitive when people make fun of it.)

Me: *continues checking shoes* “Sir, glaucoma chose me, not the other way around.”

Customer: “Oh…”

(I looked up in time to see the blood drain from the man’s face and his expression turn sheepish. He apologized profusely, which I accepted, and left quietly. I smiled on the inside, knowing that I’ve taught someone a small lesson about judging someone with glasses.)