Breaking the Rules: A Lesson in Eye Health

You may have noticed I am very pale.

Oh, no?

Here is a picture of me literally glowing:

Guess which one is me.

Satisfied?

It was only recently that I realized it's not just my skin that is lacking pigment, but my eyes as well. In fact, they apparently have little to no melanin in them at all. So not only is my skin very sensitive to the sun, but I find myself squinting constantly when I'm outside, even with UV 400 sunglasses on.

It makes sense when I think about it, but I never drew the connection between my pale eyes and the fact that I could never find a pair of sunglasses that was dark enough. I just assumed everyone had this problem and it was something I had to live with.

Apparently not.

So now, on top of worrying about melanoma, I have to consider issues with my eyes before stepping outside.

Easier said than done.

As I mentioned, it's always been difficult for me to find sunglasses that were dark enough and fit well. The last sunglasses I bought were the darkest pair I could find, and they're not even close to being dark enough. Even when I wear them I am constantly squinting, and on very sunny days my eyes literally hurt from the sunlight.

Squinting in my most recent sunglasses.

It doesn't help that I have, until now, refused to pay a premium for sunglasses. Until I moved to LA, every pair of sunglasses I owned came from the dollar store or thrift store. The last pair I got was from Marshall's, and I was annoyed at paying $12 for them. What is the point, when I know they'll just get scratched, stepped on, and lost?

Me in thrift store sunglasses... still squinting.

Got these ones from the dollar store many years ago.

But after I realized that my crappy shades could be damaging my vision, promoting eye disease, and causing premature frown lines, I decided it was time to break down and get a nicer pair.

Based on my year of Nothing New, and my general frugality, I shied away from paying $42 for a matching pair with Renata at Anthropologie and decided to look online for a nicer used pair.

Also easier said than done.

Which brings us to last Sunday, and a visit to Pasadena to meet up with my friend Laura. We went to the PCC flea market, and then walked around downtown. I wore my sunglasses and my floppy hat, but my eyes were still killing me.

So I went into Urban Outfitters, and I bought a pair of sunglasses. Brand new. For $18!

New sunglasses with (old) floppy hat.

I wish they were a bit darker, but they are definitely better than the old ones, and will do for the interim until I can find something more suitable for my sensitive eyes - I'm wondering if I'll need to go to the eye doctor to find something dark enough.

It's probably best to wait to purchase anything über-expensive, considering my recent string of irregular expenses. But I also only get one pair of eyes, so I'm not going to put it off any longer than I need to.

The moral of the story is: 
Sometimes you need to break some rules in order to take care of your health. 

Also, sometimes you are just being cheap.

Have you ever had to break a New Year's resolution in order to buy a pair of sunglasses?
Do you resent my ridiculous questions? Is anyone even reading this?