Eye/Vision Worries

[anxiousme]

Hi All, just a quick one. Does anyone else experience a sort of vibrating in vision when anxious. I am currently obsessed with my vision and find that when I really stare at something it kind of shakes esspecially straight lines. Admittedly if I am distracted then I do not notice anything wrong with vision and when I am feeling ok I won't sit and stare at something to test my eyes. I played football last night and nothing no vibration bluriness etc. Also I have become so aware of floaters. I had this last year and it went away but just wondered if anyone else has this With HA.

I feel like my eyes are just a bit over stressed and I notice everything, every little floater or light flicker. Any thoughts would be really appreciated. Can anxiety cause shaky vision? I don't get blurriness, double vision or any blackspot/tunnelling just the above. Thanks as always.

[2Anxious]

I've had this for ages. I usually notice it more when I'm anxious or it flares up when I'm anxious. It's so weird.

I was worried for a while but I've had full eye examinations and I can tell you it's not a physical fault of the eye.

[Pinkharts9]

I am currently going through severe health anxiety over my vision. I can tell you that prior to four months ago, I never worried about my vision at all. Ever. And now it's all I think about every, single day. I can't stop seeing my floaters. I see the blue field entoptic phenomenon often. I see blue dots & sparks in my vision. Sometimes words vibrate when I'm reading. Bright light hurts my eyes. I see mild after images. Blurry vision. Sometimes my vision feels shaky. Sometimes my peripheral vision flickers. It seems like there's a new symptom/worry almost daily. If I get over one, another pops up. It's normal to have visual disturbances with anxiety but my anxiety is 100% about my vision so I think it's about ten times worse this way. I notice everything in my visual field & I feel like I'm uncomfortable seeing at times.

I had two dilated eye exams this summer & the ophthalmologist took images of my eyes. Everything was normal. So either my problems are ALL related to anxiety/hypervigilence or I have a neurological problem. I'm certainly hoping it's anxiety. I'm right there with you & know how you feel.

[2Anxious]

I am currently going through severe health anxiety over my vision. I can tell you that prior to four months ago, I never worried about my vision at all. Ever. And now it's all I think about every, single day. I can't stop seeing my floaters. I see the blue field entoptic phenomenon often. I see blue dots & sparks in my vision. Sometimes words vibrate when I'm reading. Bright light hurts my eyes. I see mild after images. Blurry vision. Sometimes my vision feels shaky. Sometimes my peripheral vision flickers. It seems like there's a new symptom/worry almost daily. If I get over one, another pops up. It's normal to have visual disturbances with anxiety but my anxiety is 100% about my vision so I think it's about ten times worse this way. I notice everything in my visual field & I feel like I'm uncomfortable seeing at times.

I had two dilated eye exams this summer & the ophthalmologist took images of my eyes. Everything was normal. So either my problems are ALL related to anxiety/hypervigilence or I have a neurological problem. I'm certainly hoping it's anxiety. I'm right there with you & know how you feel.

I have every single one of those things.

[anxiousme]

Thanks so much for your replies. I had an eye exam last year and they said all was fine. It was just a normal exam but they check the back of eyes etc. Classic HA though that was a while ago so I assume now something is up.

I have had HA about MS and this is just another thing that my body has now decided to be super vigalant about I'm sure. So like you guys I am seeing lots on peripheral visionincluding flickering etc. It sort of feels like there is an energy (not a welcome one) behind the eyes and I'm sure a lot of that is tension / stress induced because when I am completely distracted I do not notice it.

Just to mention you said you hope that as optometrist said your eyes are fine you hope is HA and not a nuro nasty. Well optometrists can tell if it is neurological and that is what they are looking put for amungst other eye issues. So an all clear from them is good news.

It really does seem that anxiety can cause littely all manor of physical symptoms. I'm starting CBT so hope to beat it soon. Thanks again is nice to hear people in same position.

[DYLCC15]

I've been having weird hazy/cloudy vision recently like non stop. I visited the optometrist who botched my exam twice and I think that set me off and I am convinced I am going blind. I too have a fear of MS, and a brain tumor but is there any way an optometrist could miss it? I've had three eye appointment in the last month and my prescription did change by like 0.5 in each from last year, but I swear that these glasses still aren't right.....


Could it be the glasses or do you think it is actually like me being super aware of my eyes and making them blurry?

[jayb1]

I'm not an optometrist but have worked in optics for 17 years. Floaters are just loose pieces of jelly floating and only to be concerned about if you get a lot of them that appear at once. The flashy flickers can be a result of occular migraine quite often brought on by stress. Blurred vision can be caused by certain medications but you could also get your blood sugar level checked. Unless the optometrist is incompetent and you've had exam where the pupil is dilated to check the health of your eye at the back tumours are difficult to miss. Eyes are precious if in any doubt go to different optometrist for second opinion

[DYLCC15]

I acutually went to an expensive private practice doc for my exam the 3rd time and he said he didn't find any abnormalities whatsoever. And according to media, he has a wonderful reputation and specialized in diabetes as well.

[Pinkharts9]

Hey guys. It's nice to know you're not alone, right? I was in full blown panic mode earlier this summer but I've calmed down a lot. I'm extremely unhappy & certainly have bad moments but mostly I just keep telling myself it's anxiety & that it will pass in time. I had two eye exams this summer & everything was good. I've been practicing deep breathing/meditation & also eating healthy, exercising & doing my CBT exercises. I go to work every day, socialize & keep busy. I try to keep myself distracted. I have an appt. for my yearly physical with my GP next Friday. I will of course tell her how much worse my anxiety is & how I've been worried about my vision. I feel like I'm doing everything I can & I just need to hang in there.

This was all triggered back in May when I noticed blue field entoptic phenomenon (shooting stars) for the first time. I was terrified. This led me to start watching everything in my vision & to notice all my floaters & it's been downhill from there. I had no idea at the time that this was going to spiral like this but it's been a nightmare.

Anxiety is a very difficult thing to deal with. It's agony. But we just have to hang in there.

[anxiousme]

Hi Pinkharts9. I have just read you brilliant first post on this. I want to just say I have had absolutely all those symptoms. At the height of it my work was affected massively and the hypersensitivity/hypervigalance was insane. It really is the case that with eyes so much is going on with them that when you are not stressed you just don't notice add to that that stress affects them and you can soon spiral out of control like we all have. I have found sport really helps as it does not give me the chance to stare at things until I see something 'abnormal' . One thing I have found out when researching is the small pin size white dots that you see after staring at bringht blue sky for a little while are blood capillaries apparently and are actually a very healthy sign if you can see them.

Anyway you are not alone and I mean it when I say I have had all those symptoms. I'm just pretty much down to shaking vision when staring at straight line intently but I'm hopping as stress reduces so will that. Cheers. AM

[jayb1]

Excellent you did the right thing . you're probably just over anxious after having all those tests. Your 3rd appointment sounds like it was thorough. You didn't mention if you are long or short sighted or if this is the first time you've had glasses. The blurriness can be sometimes due to adaptation. Some people are extra sensitive to the slightest change myself included

[Pinkharts9]

Aw, thanks AM for the encouraging words! If you don't mind my asking, how long ago were you at your "worst"? And you're saying it has mostly passed, correct? It's amazing I could go my whole life without ever once worrying about my eyes or my vision & then have one thing set me off & then it just spiraled completely out of control from there. I do believe it's hyper-vigilance & anxiety. And yet, I still feel so scared every single day!

For example, for the past two days, my thing has been after images. If I read on the computer for awhile & then look at the wall, I see lines (like the lines of the text). Or if I look at blinds (with sunlight coming in), I see lines as well. I started wondering if my eyes were getting really sensitive to those things & now I'm seeing after images a lot (but I'm also looking for them). Oh, to be normal! That would be a gift, huh? :wacko:

You hang in there. It sounds like you're much better than you were & getting stronger every day! :hugs:

[2Anxious]

Does anyone else find the shaking is worse when looking at certain things? I notice it most looking at 'edges' of things like a door frame, corner of computer or straight lines on the screen and window blinds (vertical and horizontal).

Also does anyone else have visual snow? I only have it mildly but it's extremely annoying.

[Pinkharts9]

2A, a few weeks ago, I was worried about shaky vision. I can tell you that when I stared at anything, after a few seconds, it started to shake/vibrate in my vision. But once I got off of that fear & onto the next visual symptom, I forgot about it & haven't noticed it much anymore. I've also had the sensation of looking at something & when I blink, it's like it takes a second for it straighten out in my vision. Again, I stopped noticing it after a week or so. Which at least tells me it's mostly just my anxiety working overtime.

This morning, I was actually having a dream (nightmare?) that my vision was awful & when I woke up from it, my heart was pounding & my vision WAS super blurry & shaky for about 60 seconds! I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths & when I opened them again, it was gone. :ohmy:

Definitely feeling crazy lately.

[Pinkharts9]

Another difficult thing about anxiety is that it completely drains me. I could sleep for 12 straight hours. I feel so tired at the end of the day because I soend my whole day worrying.

[anxiousme]

Hi PH and 2A. Firstly I would say I am was at my peak with visual stuff end of last year and have had it intermittently since then. My eyes were so drained last year that I could not wait to go to bed at night. Even when eyes closed I had colours and light show going on.

I had a bad flare up of noticing all these things again recently hence my post on here. I have been good since the end of last week and had to stop my self checking my eyes constantly and that has helped.

Regarding the shaky lines of door frame and other verticle and horizontal lines that is one of my biggest. I have had to train myself to not stare at then and just move on. It does lessen eventually but still there a bit and of I don't focus on it. I don't notice it.

Thanks both. Hope this disappears for you soon.

Best

[Pinkharts9]

Hello, AM! Thanks for answering my question. I'm so glad to hear you are so much better & I'm sure you will continue to recover. You are doing great!

Yes, my eyes are tired daily & I have a tension headache every, single night. I know it's just tension & the headache doesn't worry me. It's from the daily obsessing over my vision. But it does make me feel pretty wiped & awful.

Thanks for your replies & for letting me chat about myself on your thread!

[Marietta08]

Hi anxiousme and Pinkharts, I got something similar 7 years ago when I was going through a really bad time worrying about something else. I felt like my eyes were "bouncing" and wouldn't properly focus. I remember trying to look at the stereo and my vision bounced. I just wanted to sleep and sleep then too and earlier this year when I was having a hard time again.

2Anxious, I occasionally get visual snow.



I'm sorry to hear that others are having a lot of worries about their eyes too but it can be a relief to know that you're not alone. :)

[turboswag]

This is an old thread but I'm so glad I found it!

I have been having this shaking vision thing as well as nearly every symptom mentioned by Pinkharts9, and it ALL started happening when I began to worry over my eyes! I get shaky vision when staring at straight lines, especially after a distance. I see shooting stars when looking at light blue or white things (mainly the sky and computer screens) as well as noticing random pin pricks of light and dark spots. It's like as soon as I get over one thing, another appears! But I just had an eye exam a few weeks ago so I think if the doc suspected anything he would've at least done a dilated eye exam?

[Marietta08]

This is an old thread but I'm so glad I found it!

I have been having this shaking vision thing as well as nearly every symptom mentioned by Pinkharts9, and it ALL started happening when I began to worry over my eyes! I get shaky vision when staring at straight lines, especially after a distance. I see shooting stars when looking at light blue or white things (mainly the sky and computer screens) as well as noticing random pin pricks of light and dark spots. It's like as soon as I get over one thing, another appears! But I just had an eye exam a few weeks ago so I think if the doc suspected anything he would've at least done a dilated eye exam?

Sorry to hear you've also been worrying about your vision, turboswag. I'm the same as you, as soon as I stop worrying over something I start to worry about something else. :( I've been to the eye hospital 3 times since November for floaters and dark kind of flashes. I was told my eyes were ok, the floaters were just a natural thing and the flashes were visual migraine. I think once you start focusing on your eyes you can start to notice everything.

I don't know for sure about the different types of eye exams but I think most opticians are pretty thorough and like you say, if he thought anything was wrong he would have investigated further. :) If you'd like another opinion you could try posting on Specsavers: http://www.specsavers.co.uk/ask-the-optician/

They usually answer quickly but I recently asked a question and I've been waiting for a few days. They take longer over the weekend though.

Hope you start to feel better soon. :)[/URL]

---------- Post added at 16:02 ---------- Previous post was at 16:00 ----------

Also I found this link on another anxiety forum. It has downloads for booklets to help with health anxiety. It's probably been posted on here somewhere as well but I thought I'd just post it in this thread: [url]http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=53 (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk//uk.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)

[anxiousme]

Just checking in to see how everyone is doing with their eyes. Anyone got rid of the symptoms when they stopped worrying? I'm pretty stressed again at the momment so again in a bit of bad place with it. Stared in mirror for about 5 mins this morning from distance and everything was vibrating after a while. Weirdly when I moved closer it stopped. Of course if I had not stared in mirror for that long I would not have noticed. Would love to hear if anyone's symptoms have subsided when stress reduced. I realise I have not really not been stressed for years so hard to say. Hope everyone doing well. X

[Marietta08]

Hi anxiousme, I have been doing better lately but sometimes I start to worry again. I try to worry for shorter periods now. I'm still getting some symptoms but trying not to freak out. How are you doing? :)