Ben Robinson

All About Ben

By Ben Robsinson

I have to admit something. For the last year or so I’ve needed new glasses. It started a few years ago. I was wearing glasses, prescribed by my eye doctor. One year the glasses were suddenly missing. My sister Rhonda was visiting from Virginia and she stayed in my bedroom at the house. My glasses somehow disappeared during that time. The theory was somehow my glasses got placed in her diaper bag she used for my nephew Kevin, and, given the contents of the bag, I figured it was not worth looking through that bag to find them.

By the way, Kevin is 33 now. He has not needed a diaper bag for quite some time.

When it came time to renew my glasses last I simply cheated on the eye exam. When the lady asked me to read line nine, I stole a glance with both eyes and was able to guess enough letters to pass the eye exam. The girl at the highway department was nice, and smiled when I guessed wrong, so I was able to guess enough letters to get my license.

Since then South Carolina has changed the laws so you only have to get your license renewed every 10 years. So I have had for my eyes to almost completely deteriorate.

I can see good up close, but road signs are a challenge for me. I learned that it was not really any of my business how many miles it is to Greenville. I should recognize the place when I get there anyway.

But it did not take long for that to grow old. Even as a passenger I could not see well enough to read road signs, and after a while you start to wonder just where you are at.

So with help from the Dacusville Club, I went last week to have my eyes checked out. The Lions have always been very generous, and perhaps realize that my bad eyesight is more of a danger to other people than just to me. Either way, given my limited employment status, the help was appreciated, and if I can help the Lions as they help others in the future, I will do so.

My eye doctor has now retired, so a young man examined me this time. So now I have a new pair of glasses in the works. I look forward to being able to see again. I would rather be called “four eyes” than “that blind guy,” and apparently the choice was down to those two.

So look out world, a healthier and clear-visioned version version of Ben is on the way. I will let you know what I see.