I woke up startled at my desk. I looked around frantically to gather my bearings and after a couple seconds, I realized I had fallen asleep working on things for school. Again. It only occurred to me now that I hadn’t had this problem until recently. It was my last year of fashion school and it was towards the end of the semester and nights like this made me grateful I had a room to myself. I got up and looked out my dorm window. It seemed to be snowing, reminding me that I also should start thinking about Hearth’s Warming presents, adding to my stress.

“Only one more finals season left…” I tried to remind myself.

I sighed as I looked at the time. 2 AM. I rummaged through my things and quietly snuck through the hallways of the floor to wash my face and brush my teeth. And to take more ibuprofen. It also came to mind that while I had headaches before when I worked a lot, it was definitely worse since I started the school year. But I couldn’t think about that much at 2 AM.

I got my sleep mask and tried to finally settle down for bed. But the headache and the sudden racing thoughts about what I had left to do wouldn’t stop…

I felt my eyes drooping and my friend’s voice slowly fade out as I stirred my cereal.

“Rarity?” my friend said.

I snapped back to reality as my magic lost control of my spoon, causing it to fall in my cereal and splash a bit of milk in my face.

“Yeesh, when you said you had a rough night, you meant it," my friend noted.

“I did. I fell asleep studying with a headache, woke up in the middle of the night, and said headache kept me awake.”

“You… Alright, friend? I mean, I know we’re all stressed right now, but it’s hard to see you like this and not be worried.”

I shrugged.

“I don’t know what it is about this year, but it’s been killing me.”

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” my friend said sympathetically. “I hope you can take care of yourself and have a nice holiday season when you get home.”

“Thanks. I’ll certainly try.”

I did my best to do what I was told by my friend. I figured since I didn’t have time to read for pleasure at school, I had to make the most of it while I was on break. I was almost done with a good book, so I decided to take an afternoon to finish it. It was hard, but I had my ibuprofen and water ready and I did my best to power through. But exhaustion overcame me.

“Rarity…”

I jolted awake to see my sister and the book I was reading on the floor beside the couch, my magic having dropped it as I fell asleep.

“Uh… sorry to wake you,” Sweetie Belle said. “But dinner’s ready.”

“It’s alright Sweetie Belle. Just give me a moment.”

I levitated the book on the coffee table and rubbed my temples as my sister looked at me with concern.

“It’s just a headache,” I said.

“This is the third time you’ve complained of a headache since you’ve been home.”

I bit my lip. Had it been that many?

“It’s just because I’ve been trying to finish this book,” I said. “No big deal. I blame myself for reading so much. I knew this would happen.”

Which was true. The headaches and eye tiredness were definitely a lot worse after reading or finishing a garment. But Sweetie Belle didn’t want to give up yet.

“I’ve noticed you squinting more and more these days. A couple members of our family have eye problems, right? When’s the last time you got yours checked?”

She and I definitely had the observant trait in common.

“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes, Sweetie Belle. I’ve just been in fashion school. It’s natural that my eyes would be a bit tired.”

My sister kept looking at me skeptically. Stubbornness ran in the family, too.

“That’s what you want to think. But I know you and I’ve had a feeling it’s more than that for a while. Especially after hearing you had such a hard time this semester.”

“Sweetie Belle, I’m the older sister!” I snapped. “I’m supposed to worry about you, okay?”

Sweetie Belle looked like she wanted to raise her voice too, but stayed calm.

“Rarity, you work in fashion. So something like glasses might be a big deal for you. I understand that. And you’re right–you’re a grown mare that can make your own decisions. But will you at least think about it?”

I didn’t want to admit defeat, but Sweetie Belle was right. Perhaps vanity was preventing me from doing anything about this, as pathetic and selfish that made me feel. Having glasses in the fashion world was certainly not the default. I think I always knew subconsciously the headaches and increased amount of time it would take me to do fashion projects were not just because of normal eye strain and stress, but I wouldn’t admit it. And maybe my vision had gotten worse so gradually, I didn’t notice how bad it was.

“I’ll think about it,” I relented.

I finished my forms and sat nervously at the eye clinic. I finally decided to look at some potential frames to calm myself down. It seemed silly, but as much as I would love not to need glasses, I for some reason was worried about how the doctors would react to my problems. Not seeing well far away was common among ponies my age, but how many 22 year olds have a hard time seeing up close? But Sweetie Belle was right. My parents were mostly fine, but something could be in the family.

Fortunately, there was no judgment from the doctor as she reviewed the forms I filled out in the waiting room with me.

“I’m glad you're here,” the doctor said, her magic putting the clipboard down. “I have a feeling after today, your life will be much improved. Let’s begin the exam.”

As the exam ended, I blinked rapidly, seeing if I could get any feeling back in my eyes after the numbing drops.

“Just as we both probably suspected,” the doctor said. “You’re slightly hyperopic in both eyes. Or farsighted. Nothing at this point over the counter readers won’t fix. I’ll write you a note on what strength to get.”

A full eye exam just to say I needed readers was a bit anticlimactic, but it was still good to have it done.

“Hyperopia. I think I’ve heard of myopia,” I recalled. “That’s nearsightedness, isn’t it? And hyperopia is the opposite?”

“Ponies with hyperopia technically are nearsighted also,” the doctor explained. “But it takes less effort for the lens and muscles to focus on far away objects, so they can bend and adjust to bring the light forward to the retina, making far away objects clear. It’s harder for myopic patients to adjust their eyes to bring the light backwards.”

“So, I was able to manage before because my eyes were able to compensate? And this compensation is why I can still see far away, but it sometimes tires my eyes to do so?”

“Exactly. Foal eye lenses are soft, so they can adjust. Or sometimes the vision improves as the eye grows. Even hyperopic ponies your age still typically don’t need correction for it yet. But you rely on your close up vision so much, it’s no wonder your hyperopia finally got the best of you.”

I paused as I processed what was said to me. I wondered how many hyperopic ponies I met and I had no idea.

“I imagine this aging of the lens is why farsightedness is more common in older ponies?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that’s a specific kind of hyperopia, called presbyopia. It will happen to all of us eventually. But some things that cause hyperopia can be present earlier. Eye shape, lens shape, trauma, etc.”

How fascinating! I found it funny how we have magic in Equestria to raise the sun and moon, but not to cure bad eyesight.

“Thank you for the everyday pony explanations, doctor,” I said. “I was nervous to come today, but you’ve been lovely.”

“Glad to hear I was able to make it a good experience,” she said. “We have plenty of options for reading glasses here if you want to take a look before you go home.”

“No, thanks. I think I want my sister to help me pick them out. To thank her for getting me to come here. Though I saw some reddish orange ones out there that were nice.”

“No problem,” the doctor said with a smile. “I’ll see you out.”