ESL Podcast 234 - Seeing an Eye Doctor
optometrist - a doctor for the eyes; a doctor who studies eye problems and helps people see better
The optometrist said that I should wear glasses whenever I drive at night.
glasses - eyeglasses; a piece of metal or plastic that is worn over one's ears and the front of one's face and that holds pieces of clear plastic or glass in front of one's eyes to help one see better
Sofia lost her glasses yesterday and she can't see anything! She needs to buy another pair as soon as possible.
contacts - contact lenses; thin pieces of plastic that are worn over one's eyes to help one see better
It's important to wash your hands before you put in your contacts, so that you don't get an infection.
laser eye surgery - a surgery (operation; medical procedure) where a laser beam makes a small cut in or changes the shape of one's eyes to help one see better
Youngwoo couldn't see anything before his laser eye surgery, but now his sight is perfect!
vision - sight; one's ability to see
Elvira's vision has always been bad. Even when she was a child she had to wear thick, heavy glasses.
20/20 - perfect vision; the ability to see perfectly
Victor wanted to fly planes for the government, but he couldn't because he didn't have 20/20 vision.
near-sighted - able to see things that are near, but not able to see things that are far away
He's near-sighted, so he couldn't see the movie without his glasses.
far-sighted - able to see things that are far away, but not able to see things that are near
Olga wears glasses only when she's reading or when she's working at the computer because she's far-sighted.
eye chart - a piece of paper that hangs on a wall and is used to test one's ability
to see; it has letters in rows - letters are biggest in the top rows and smallest in the bottom rows
When I was a child, I could easily read all the letters on the eye chart, but now I can only read the top two rows without my glasses.
to make out - to see clearly; to recognize; to identify
The car that hit us drove off too quickly. It was already down the street when I tried to make out the numbers on its license plate.
sharp - clear; definite; having detailed lines; not blurry
They don't like the painting, because the lines are very sharp and unnatural.
blurry - unclear; without detailed lines; not sharp
After the book got wet, the words on the pages were very blurry and difficult to read.
prescription - a piece of paper that a doctor uses to write the type of medicine or glasses that a patient needs
After I left the doctor's office, I took my prescription to the drugstore so that I could get my medication.
frame - the piece of metal or plastic that is worn over one's ears and in front of one's face that holds lenses (pieces of clear plastic or glass) in front of one's eyes to help one see better; the metal or plastic part of a pair of glasses
Have you seen Jacob's new glasses? The frames make his look older and smarter.
lenses - the pieces of clear plastic or glass that are held in front of one's eyes by a frame (the piece of metal or plastic that is worn over one's ears and in front of one's face) to help one see better; the clear plastic or glass parts of a pair of glasses
Nikolai's lenses broke while he was playing basketball, but the frames are fine, so he just needs to buy new lenses.
glaucoma - an eye disease where too much pressure in the eye can make someone blind (unable to see)
Grandma's glaucoma gets worse every year, and the doctors are worried that in a few months, she won't be able to see anything.
grateful - thankful; the feeling of appreciating something
Maxine was very grateful when her husband said that he would take care of cooking and washing the dishes while she rested last night.