something weird is happening to me at work

[Budgie]

HI guys, how are you?


I'm not 100% sure which section of the forum I should post this in, but the situation in general is exacerbating my anxiety, so I plumped for this section, I hope thats okay


Well, I work as a data input clerk, so I spend all my day sat in front of a computer screen. I've been doing this for about 15 months, and in this time I've gradually experienced vision problems that have got worse. I went to see an optician about it and he didn't seem so interested, and said it was just eye strain, and told me to blink more.

But, even though I know I can get over anxious about just about anything, I don't know if my optician is right I've spoken to collegues at work to see if they experience similar symptoms as me and they don't.

What happens is, my eyes feel weary (although I'm not tired), and I start to lose focus in my eyes, and can't see what I am typing. But the more disturbing thing to me, is I become really confused and disorientated; I don't really know what I am doing at all, and I get twitchy and restless. This might sound weird, but I start to sort of hallucinate and almost start speaking out loud to answer all the random thoughts that start flitting through my mind. It is really, really bizarre. It goes on for quite a while, and then when it is over, I am totally tired out and feel nauseous and disorientated.


As I mentioned before, it is very easy for me to let my anxiety go into overdrive and all, but surely this is something I should ask a second opinion about? I have spoken with my line manager about it, although at the time, I left out a lot of details (the hallucination parts and confusion), because I wondered if this was just my anx. But I have realised over time that the I don't have any control of what happens during these strange episodes, either of what my restless body is doing or what is whirling around my head!

Hmm... I'm just worried that I will make an appointment to see my GP, and, as with what happened with the optician, they will just dismiss what's going on as something trivial, and I will have wasted their time

[daisycake]

Well I would certainly try to see your GP. *Could* be quite simply anxiety but could be something else - don't want to start throwing you my perceived ideas of what exactly as I'm not a doctor! - but I would see your Gp and maybe another optician? Hope all goes well, God Bless x

Edit: Does it only happen when you're on the PC?

[Budgie]

Hi daisy


Yeah, it only seems to happen when I am working, when I'm looking at the monitor.

I do remember when I was at uni, I studied English, so read a lot of texts, sometimes it happened then, but nothing like how it is now. Its happening every day more or less now, and sometimes more than once during the day

[LucyR]

Hi, How long does each bout of this last? It does sound like too much looking on the screen and anxiety put together which gets you in a state and then you feel restless and twitchy and worry more so you then get to the stage of not knowing what you are doing?

[Budgie]

Hi Lucy!

The bouts can go on for some time, today I think went on for over half an hour.

The strange thing is, I don't feel anxious during them, or before them. I get a sense that my eyes are going, and then its like I am tripping off into space! Its only afterwards that I start to feel anxious, because my work output drops massively, and I have no idea what I may or may not have been typing (and I get spot checks for accuracy/speed, so I think that's why I get the anxiety afterwards)

[daisycake]

Yeah I would mention to your GP just to be on the safe side - it could well be that you're overtired but anything where you feel like you don't know what you're doing should really get checked out. Particularly if, as you say, you twitch and feel tired afterwards. Do you feel like you lose any memory of what's happened during the episode - if you wanted to stop it could you? I mean could you like distract yourself to stop the drifting feeling? Or does it happen whatever you do?

Like I said I'm not a doctor however my mum has problems with epilepsy like fits and so I kind of understand a bit where you might be coming from. Not that the two are in any way related and not that I want you to panic because it's more than likely minor.

[LucyR]

Hi Lucy!

The bouts can go on for some time, today I think went on for over half an hour.

The strange thing is, I don't feel anxious during them, or before them. I get a sense that my eyes are going, and then its like I am tripping off into space! Its only afterwards that I start to feel anxious, because my work output drops massively, and I have no idea what I may or may not have been typing (and I get spot checks for accuracy/speed, so I think that's why I get the anxiety afterwards)

I have had feelings like my head is going forward onto the computer and I get anxious afterwards, but I think that is tiredness. Is this a new thing with you or have you been to the doctor about it before? I would go back anyway they may have some tests on your co-ordination and also the optician can check your eyesight to find a possible cause.

[Budgie]

Thanks for your replies, guys

I've found that theres nothing I can do to stop it all from happening once it starts; I've tried focusing on something else and so on, but once I get the feeling that "it" is starting, then it just seems to take over me. I had thought it was tiredness related at first, or anxiety related, but genuinely, I don't feel particularly anxious at the moment, and I sleep enough - I make sure of that!

I find it hard to remember what happens during these episodes. Its not as though I pass out or anything, I just lose all my sense of what is happening, if that makes sense. My memory in general is a little bit hazy at the moment, and I'm not sure if its related.

I rang up my mum last night and spoke to her, and she suggested I tell my line manager about it all, although I am worried I might not be able to explain it properly But I do feel that, after another day of it happening to me, there must be something going on