I've needed glasses since I was a kid, but didn't actually get them until high school. My mom didn't really believe I needed them because she thought it was "normal" to not be able to see far away; in a way, she's right, but I wasn't able to see the board from the back of the room, whereas my classmates without glasses or contacts could, so I ended up getting more insistent in high school. I wear them regularly now, and I actually just got my eyes checked about a week ago! xD They did the drops to dilate your eyes, and that was the first time that's ever been done for me (they normally did the puff of air, but I went to a new optometrist). It was definitely a fun time. I grabbed lunch with my mom before work and I couldn't see anything because it was all so blurry if it was close to my face. xD (I was thankfully able to drive though, so that was a plus, and it'd worn off by the time I'd clocked in for work.)
I'm super nearsighted though. I can see without them, but unless it's right up in my face, it's blurry. I can recognize an object is there, but I can't read text from far away without my glasses. Driving is just a big fat nope without them. I can live without them for a little bit if I need to wipe something off of them or I'm putting my sunglasses on, especially if I know the area I'm driving in pretty well (which, for the most part, is most places around here because I've lived in this area my whole life), but I definitely need them while driving.
I'm too spooked by contacts to want to try them. I'm worried I'll poke my eye and hurt myself or it'll get stuck in my eye. Neither is probably likely, but the idea of it spooks me. I'll just stick with glasses, haha. My new pair should be coming in this week, which is nice because the pair I wear now is actually super old and the frames are fading. And then I have to get new prescription sunglasses because the prescription on those is pretty outdated. (I'm hoping I can just get the lenses popped out and replaced though, instead of having to buy new frames and lenses.)