Anxiety/eye problems

[clayrelouise]

Hi everyone. I don't really know where to start with this but I'll try and keep it brief! I'm 27 and for years now I've suffered with what people say in anxiety - specifically health anxiety. I do believe I have anxiety but a big part of me feels like the doctors just fob me off with that. Anyway, over the last 9 years I've noticed problems with my eyes - I work on a computer every day and a few years ago I started having to wear glasses for distance. I wear them all the time and recently the prescription increased slightly. For those of you who understand glasses prescriptions, I am only -0.75 in both eyes so not bad at all but wearing my glasses makes a huge difference to me. About 7 years ago I started getting floaters some clear and some little black tadpole type ones. I was referred to eye specialist at hospital and they said there was nothing wrong and that floaters are common. In recent years - especially with the glasses, I've noticed that these have got worse. I worry about them every single day of my life. My eyes are also very light sensitive and I worry I have a brain tumour or cancer every day. I've been to the opticians multiple times despite being terrified and they have all said there is nothing wrong and the doctors say the same. I don't even really enjoy going outside anymore cause my floaters are much more noticeable. I guess I just want some reassurance really. I know that being short sighted can increase floaters and I know anxiety/stress can too, but I worry every single day and it's taking over my life. I've tried CBT etc for my anxiety but I'm so adamant that they are wrong and that they must have missed something at the doctors that none of it really sinks in. I personally feel like my anxiety is loads better than it was and I can talk myself round now but yet I still have these problems with my eyes. I also get the twinkly lights forms time to time and little flashes and blurring around things - like double vision. All these things just enforce the fact that I think I have something underlying and that I'm slowly dying! It sounds ridiculous when I read it all back but no one understands me. Low pole think I'm crazy and just say stop worrying but I just can't move on with my life. Any help/reassurance would be greatly appreciated. xx

---------- Post added at 16:34 ---------- Previous post was at 16:32 ----------

That's supposed to say people at the end lol x

[2Anxious]

I feel like I relate to just about every symptom on this site, lol. But yea, I wear contacts and I've had floaters for a few years but recently they have become A LOT worse. I used to have a small one in my right eye, now I have multiple in both eyes. I also have ones that look like little strings of light instead of the usual grey ones.

Also, if I look at the sky (not the sun) I see what I can only describe as looking at bacteria under a microscope. It's weird. They haven't really bothered me because as far as I'm aware they don't signal any serious health conditions unless they're accompanied by other symptoms. They're extremely annoying though.

They get a lot worse if I'm tired/dehydrated aswell.

[56degree]

I get these blighters too. Only started getting them with anxiety. Or at least I never noticed before. Annoying.

[Phill2]

I've had em all my life (I'm 62)
Never a problem

[ker92ri]

I could have written this, funny thing is I have read a lot about floaters and I'm starting to get them. I have ghosting/double vision. Been to optometrists and opthamologists and a and e. All say nothing is wrong apart from the underlying eye issue I have (lazy eye). It sucks I feel your pain

[Zim]

Hi there,

I suffer from severe health anxiety and I noticed that my eyes appeared bloodshot. Soon after this, I developed floaters (Or noticed them for the first time in my life). I woke up one day and there they were. Hundreds. 2Anxious describes floaters as I see them. They look like worms made up of cells that you would see in a microscope. After that, I noticed other things wrong with my vision. Afterimages and light sensitivity and also, static vision like watching TV, 24/7 but it's worse in a dark room, at night. Everything is shimmering and vibrating slightly. I think it's a combination of being hyper-aware and of excessive measures of adrenaline.

I think once we stop being hyper-aware due to anxiety, our vision will clear up. :)