Visual problems

[Scared1988]

Hi I've just joined today because of my visual problems. I've had anxiety issues on and off for 10 years but these last few years I've been feeling great.
So my problem started recently with flickering lights. When I first noticed it I thought there was a light bulb actually flickering , but it's happening more and more and in different places.
It literally feels like someone is turning a dimmer switch on a light up and down fast. It's driving my crazy and consuming my every thought.
I've been to the doctors but they don't seem bothered. My opticians say my eyes are fine. I'm constantly thinking about my vision now. Sometimes I feel I can't concentrate when staring at an object and it seems to wobble. Also sometimes my vision seems shimmery as if looking through heat.
I'm really worried there's something terrible wrong with me or I'm going crazy and hallucinating!
The flickering lights is the worse though. Also think I have visual snow. Anyone out here with similar problems ?

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Scared1988 and welcome to NMP

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way

[Deckard]

Hey Scared1988,

first of all welcome to NMP.

On occasions I had visual anomalies. I notice them especially during periods of high anxiety, like after having had a panic attack. The flickering/dimming has happened very rarely to me though. It indeed seems like a light flickering briefly, like when switching on a vaccum cleaner and a lamp on the same circuit which causes the light to dim for brief moment.

The other thing you mention, the not being able to concentrate on specific area, that I have more often. It's like I want to stare at something, like a letter or word, and I think I'm not able to focus properly. Even though I can "see" the word fine, and read without problems. It's just very annoying. When having very high anxiety, I also sometimes think I'm looking through a thick pane of glass, and things seem to have an "aura" around them. I do have astigmatism, so I visit my Ophthalmologist regularly in case my prescription changes, and she never found anything out of the ordinary with my eyes except for the aforementioned conditioned. I also recently began noticing eye floaters - I say noticing, since I've been having some for a while, but since my anxiety spiked recently, I began to become more aware of them.

Long story short, at least someone here has similar issues. I worry about my eyesight in general as well, but I think the above issues are very much related to anxiety. I know though that telling oneself that is not always helping to calm down.


--Deckard

[Scared1988]

Thanks for replying.

I also get the floaters but they don't bother me as much. I think my anxiety is making this worse , but defiantly not the cause. The flickering is driving me insane. I was even thinking of going back down the doctors or even a&e this morning but they never take me seriously.

I just need to figure away to distract myself I guess or wait for this to progress and then maybe something can be done about it.

I know it sounds crazy but I'm really worrying about ms or a tumour or some psychosis.

Even the flickering of the telly in the room is annoying to my now. It's like I notice everything. Hope I'm not cracking up. Thanks for reading.

[Deckard]

You're welcome Scared1988.

I know how scary health anxiety can be. One starts to worry about every little sensation thinking it's something sinister. I've been through the brain tumour scare myself. I know it's especially hard to explain "vague" symptoms like visual anomalies to medical professionals, especially if they know or assume you've got anxiety issues.

Distraction definitely helps, but I know full well that it can be hard to find something which is really able to distract you, but hang in there.


--Deckard


P.S. I'm here almost every day, if you need someone to talk to, just PM me. I find talking about it helps, since the very process of putting my thoughts into words makes me think more rationally.

[KeeKee]

I get the flickering vision and have had it over a year now. I went to the optician probably about a year ago and they said my eyes were fine. I can understand the angst you are feeling as I still worry now (although not excessively). When I lean my head forward sometimes I get 2 or 3 'flickers' in a row and it scares me, but as the optician said my eyes are fine, I try not to worry.

The way I see it, if I did have a true issue, my phone, the TV etc would all be flickering too, but it appears to be only lights.

[Scared1988]

Thanks Deckard. Nice to know I'm not along feeling like this.

Hi keekee. Yes my opticians also said my eyes are fine so I'm thinking maybe it's my brain or blood flow. I know I sound crazy lol. The flickering for me started out as just a couple of times a day. Now it's constant these last few days. Almost as if someone has lit a fire in the room and the whole room is flickering. I also only notice it in certain rooms that as well lit.

Thanks for taking the time to read guys