Do you wear glasses? Please share your memory of wearing them for the first time and your tips on getting them for the first time with Specsavers - you could win £250 NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at Specsavers would love to hear your story of when you first put on a pair of glasses and realised what you were missing - did you have that "wow" moment? How life changing it is to have your vision corrected for the first time? They'd also love to hear your tips for other people on wearing specs for the first time - whether they are for a long or short sighted prescription.

Specsavers say "when you choose Specsavers Opticians you are in safe hands - as shown by a YouGov 2014 survey*, Specsavers has been voted the most trusted optician in the UK. We always completely follow the guidelines set out by the General Optical Council - this means that all our glasses are professionally fitted under the supervision of a qualified optician. Every pair of glasses is individually made to meet your vision requirements and lifestyle needs - your dispenser will check that your new glasses fit properly and that you have clear, comfortable vision, making any necessary adjustments to ensure a perfect fit – making getting that first pair a easy!"

Share your thoughts and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 voucher from here

Please note Specsavers may use your comments - anon of course - on their pages on MN, on their social media or possibly elsewhere - please only post if you're happy with this.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

It was 30 years ago and all I can remember was being embarrassed!

I got my first pair when I was 3 :(

As I got older it corrected itself now - until I discovered that I need them when I am tired and working at the computer for llong hours.

My advice to anyone - don't rush to chose a frame, make sure you are happy with them

I put it off for ages as I didn't like the idea so put up with a lot os squinting! Then some people started offering positive comments about how much they suited me so I gave in and wore them more often.

I was10 and there was the initial relief of being able to see properly and all but I remember dread.
Dread for the school yard. aAnd I was right. I was teased and bullied about them for the rest of that year.

I was in my early thirties and struggling to learn to drive

I got my first pair aged about 7. It was great to be able to see-but I was always the child (and am now the adult) who has smudgy marks on them, even though I could swear blind I've not touched them! No idea how I manage it! :-)

I was in my 20s when I first got glasses. I remember feeling quite nervous, wearing them to work for the first time, but I soon got used to them and felt intelligent and sophisticated looking!

I was about nine when I got my first specs and I loved them, I spent hours staring at a school across the road from us because I could see all the bricks clearly. I loved them, until I saw my granny who said: "Darling, don't wear them they look so ugly." I was devastated, my mother was furious. I refused to wear specs until I was 20 and I couldn't see people at university.

Anyway it turns out my granny never wore hers, until she had a close encounter with a snake in an outdoor loo in Africa. Then she cast vanity aside and wore them.

I got mine when I was nine. I was bright but had been falling behind at school because I couldn't see the board. I soon got back on track once I got my glasses. My first glasses were ugly NHS Dame Edna shaped ones - I am so pleased that if DD ever has to wear glasses she will be able to choose from all sorts of wonderful shapes and colours :) I never left mine off because I much prefer having great eyesight! My glasses now really suit me.

I got my first glasses aged 12, they were plastic rimmed NHS ones. I would only wear them at school in the classroom when I had to read something from the blackboard. Teachers noticed I was sitting nearer and nearer the front and still squinting to see. I struggled to see bus numbers and eventually after a few years when NHS had more choice in frames I ended up wearing them almost all the time, now they are just a part of me. I think it was just teenage lack of confidence at the time, now I love shopping for new frames and new looks!

I was 19 and I remember complaining to my friend at university that the lecturer hadn't focused the OHP. My friend hissed back at me that it was in focus! A trip to the opticians ensued. I hated getting glasses initially, but am more reconciled to it these days.

I got my first air of glasses 2 years ago. I was devastated. I got conned by the optician into spending a LOT of money on some not very nice glasses. Fortunately after getting over the shock I got myself some lovely glasses and now it's like I've always had them. My advice would be to try EVERY style on. You'll be surprised what suits you

I got my first pair just last year before I got pregnant and I felt cheated that I hadn't been able to see as sharply for so many years leading up to it. When I was pregnant my sight got even worse!

I started wearing glasses soon after starting secondary school; they felt awkward at first - I think I kept fiddling with them as I just wasn't used to them. Now I feel awkward without them, plus over the years I've found more stylish frames that suit me better than the initial ones I got which were massive!

I didn't need to wear spectacles until in my 30s, and used to buy from a local independent shop. However, they were expensive!

These days I go to the local multi-national, and find their professionalism and expertise second-to-none.

I would advise always checking the offers available - do you really need two pairs of glasses or are there offers available which would be more suitable? Also if you need varifocles, make sure that the frames are big enough for the technology to work well.

Also make sure that the glasses fit quite tightly and are unlikely to fall off.

I always knew that I had a problem and never had this amazement when I first wore them (at 12) because I had borrowed classmates' glasses before an could tell the difference!

But I remember that it was really hard to walk downstairs because I could see half the staircase from inside my glasses and the other from outside so I easily fall!!

My first glasses were thick because I chose from the children's range. They were really horrible and my father was really blunt about it!

I started wearing reading glasses a few years ago. When I got my first pair I remember it was like putting slippers on - the boost to my vision wasn't enormous but it made reading so much more comfortable.

I used to love going and getting my eyes tested, I thought all the gizmo's were really cool. I think I started wearing glasses at about 8-9 due to a stigmatism, my mum picked out a few pairs and I was allowed the final decision. I didn't mind wearing them, they were mainly for long distance anyway, so I only had to wear them in class and was quite proud of my condition as I loved the word 'stigmatism' - still do

I had a huge great NHS pair and a patch over one eye! I'm glad I don't really remember too much and the much nicer frames had come in by the time I went to high school.
My main advice to first time wearers is keep them clean. Kitchen roll and glass cleaner will do. I'm sure dirty glasses is bad for you!

I got my first pair of glasses at the age of 5 in 1968 - they were national health tortoise shell glasses - which complemented my fully freckled face and trendy 'shaggy dog' haircut - we had only one hairdresser in our village and she worked from her house and the shaggy haircut was the only haircut she could do - so everybody in the village had one - man and woman! I broke the leg of my glasses a week later when I was playing rounders and for 6 months I had a sticking plaster round the leg holding them together - as my mum and dad didn't have the time to get them fixed

I was 17 when I first got glasses. I used my savings to pay for the more expensive ones my mother didm;t want to get me - they were big and mainly white with tortoise shell insets in the frames - and - they had hinges which meant you could over-bend them, magic! Every time I get new glasses, and the first time I wore them, I see the leaves on the trees and realise that I have been viewing the world in broad brush strokes when there is so much detail to enjoy. It took a long time for me to think of myself as a person who wears glasses. It still shocks me a bit if people see me that way - although it would be stranger if they didm;t as I'm 44 and wear glasses all the time!

I only realised I needed glasses a few months ago, when trying on my boyfriend's glasses - I was pretty shocked at how well I could see with them, and must have spent the following 10 minutes looking at my newly revealed fingerprints.

When I got my own pair, it did take a while for me to figure out when I needed them on and when I didn't, and they made me feel a bit unbalanced, but that soon wore off and now we get on just fine.

The first time I wore my glasses to school, aged 7, I kept my desk lid up all morning so no one would notice me and my new glasses behind it
No qualms these days though - love my trendy specs now.

I don't wear glasses. My story is a little different...

Last year I developed a condition called Keratoconus which affects the cornea and causes visual problems. My left eye was heavily affected and my world turned upside out. Simple tasks like food shopping, reading a book and reading cooking instruction labels became impossible.

Glasses don't work and it was too far advanced in my left eye for contacts. So, I went on the waiting list for a cornea transplant. I had my transplant on August 11th of this year.

It wasn't pleasant and the first month or two, pretty difficult! But it was worth it. The improvement visually is unbelievable. I'm on a lot of medication and a lot of different eye drops, but it is no longer painful and very rarely uncomfortable. I had 17 stitches in my eye: the first 2 have been removed and the other 15 will follow. The full recovery time is 12-18 months.

My new cornea is showing no signs of rejection and I could not be happier. My right eye has the condition too which is advancing and may one day need a transplant too. But taking it one eye at a time!! :)

I just wanted to tell my story because I take any opportunity to do so. Cornea donation is low in the UK and so many people are waiting. I was only 29 (I've recently turned 30) and it turned my life upside down. I couldn't see facial expressions, cook for myself or integrate in some family activities the way I used to. The scariest thought was not being able to see my childrens' smile, help them with their homework....all the little things.

So please, if you can, become an organ donor and choose to donate your corneas.

Thanks for reading!! Merry Christmas!!

I remember it well and the whole process was captured in timeless photos proudly stuck in the baby album. I had a lazy eye and a squint (attractive! Cue photo enlargement taking up a WHOLE page in the album!) so I had an operation when I was 6 to correct it and then had to wear a patch (which I HATED - cue next photo of pirate me with bowl haircut) I felt like I wanted to be invisible at school and I do remember that feeling of not wanting to look at people or people looking at me. I remember getting that patch off and upgrading into my first pair of glasses - that was amazing! I loved my first pair. They were red with little rubber things on the sides that clicked when I turned them. I used to sit and turn them listening to the click. I still have them in their little case somewhere. And they still click. why I have no idea - who wants clicking glasses - possibly just me!