Close your eyes. Let your memory take you back to a moment of something amazing. What colors do you see? What aromas do you smell? What sounds do you hear? How hot or cold does the memory feel? The senses join forces, recreating a snapshot from your life.

Seeing your child for the first time. Watching a big black bear rummage through a red tent on a camping trip. Jumping in the cold lake on a hot day. Moments profound and routine add up – and that’s a life. It wouldn’t be quite the same if one of our precious senses were missing, would it?

Now everyday, normal people learn to live their lives in just that way – whether they’re blind or hearing impaired or otherwise. If you have all your senses, you’re fortunate. And if you can see, then look around and imagine life dark. Then you just might have a moment, even if it’s tiny, where you appreciate the gift of vision. It’s something most people don’t take time to do.

“A lot of people take their eyesight for granted, and I think that’s unfortunate,” says VSP network doctor and researcher Graham Erickson, O.D. “As an eyecare professional, I spend a lot of time reminding patients how important the precious gift of vision is.

Dr. Erickson’s patient list includes quite a few professional athletes. Caring for their eyes, he’s learned how technically remarkable vision is. The doctor refers to it as “the wondrous efficiency of human vision.” One surprising example for Dr. Erickson? That batter on the major league mound has a scant one-tenth of second to read the pitch and make the decision to swing, or not to swing.

For people who are blind, life presents challenges you’d never think about facing every day. And that’s why, according to Patricia Maurer, Community Relations Director for the National Federation of the Blind, sometimes you don’t know what you have unless you lose it.

“Many people don’t realize how much time and energy it takes to make up for the loss of vision,” she says. “Blind people spend huge amounts of time doing things like folding paper money into different shapes so they can tell a five-dollar bill from a 10 — or rearranging the location of their shirts so they can tell which color they’re wearing on a particular day. Being able to see well is a big advantage, but many people don’t realize it.”

Your vision, a gift though it is, needs care. And the best way to do that is get an eye exam each and every year. So close your eyes, say a little “thank you”, visualize yourself picking up the phone and making your appointment. Then, follow through.

Source: VSP