Help! I can't see to crochet.

I know there must be someone out there who's having the same problem as me, so I thought you might like to hear about my solution. 

You know I used to have perfect vision, but sadly as we get older we all need some help. To start with I just needed reading glasses but you have to keep taking them off! I used to forget where I'd put them, so I started to wear them round my neck but that wasn't an ideal solution either. Eventually I ended up with Varifocles, it means that I can crochet and watch telly at the same time. 

As my eye sight has slowly deteriorated I started to find thread crochet really difficult to work on. Glasses are set for a comfortable reading distance but I have found that I tend to hold fine crochet work much closer than I would hold a book, tablet or work on a computer. There are innumerable solutions on the market from magnifying lenses on stands, with clips or that you can hang around your neck. You'd think that there would be a solution for me, but none of them felt comfortable. But then I had an idea!

I remembered my Mum complaining that she was having difficulty telling the difference between two different coloured yarns. She took the two samples with her on her next visit to the optician. The optician explained that as we grow older we need more light to see by.

So on my next visit to the opticians I took a sample of thread crochet and the appropriate hook with me so that she could see exactly what the problem was. I felt very silly but was made to feel quite sensible! Apparently this is a not uncommon problem for people who do fine work. The solution is to have a pair of reading glasses which are set just a fraction stronger than usual. Of course I can't watch telly while wearing them but I haven't lost them yet because they are always with my crochet work!

It is so wonderful to be able to do this kind of work again that I thought it was worth sharing with you.