Anxiety related visual vertigo : Hi, i... - Anxiety Support

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Anxiety related visual vertigo

HAfit88 profile image
7 Replies

Hi, i wanted to ask if anyone has ever suffered with visual vertigo or something similar with anxiety. I have been struggling with my eyes and dizziness for the past two years and I don’t seem to have an answer for the way I feel. I struggle with driving, working on computers, open spaces, bright places, lifts and watching tv.

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HAfit88 profile image
HAfit88
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7 Replies

Hello :-)

Have you been to your opticians about this or spoken to your Doctor ?

Anxiety can create a lot of physical symptoms but always best to get them checked out :-)

Take Care x

osbo54 profile image
osbo54

Oh my yes, for years. I finally found someone who had my answers. Every time I tried to explain it to another doc, they did not get it. They just wanted to hand me drugs. So, I found a gal who is a Vestibular and Neurological Physical Therapist. What she told me was, who knows what comes first the anxiety or the visual symptoms. But, for most people who have this, they seem to go hand in hand. She said that is a condition where the eyes, ears, head, and neck do not cooperate with each other, therefore you have that feeling of just being off or not quite right. It is very hard to explain.

All of the triggers that you mention are part of the whole process. She actually gave me ear plugs, eye shields, etc, to block out the triggers. She said what happens is when you start too experience this disturbance in your body, you start to Guard. It is an actual process where you don't want to move your head or body as much as you normally would, because you fear the dizziness or off balance feeling. If you have ever watched a very old person when they move they are very guarded. That is what we start to do. We don't move as much or as extreme as we would normally move.

She gave me a lot of exercises to do at home and we do them in her office also. She has shown me things to do at home, so that I move and not guard. She asks that I move within my tolerance, and try to avoid guarding as much as possible. She also puts a warm pad on my neck and then does some PT on my head, neck, shoulders, upper back, and arms. She said when we start to guard, everything in your body tightens up.

So, seek out one of these kind of professionals who specializes in balance. I waited for years before trying to find help, because no one understood what I was trying to convey. Does your anxiety come first, or is it a physical condition that sets the anxiety off...who knows? I just know that she has helped me tremendously, so far, and I hope to continue to make improvements.

One more thing I would like to mention. Get a complete eye exam by an Ophthalmologist, to make sure all is right with your eyes. I think they are fine and you are struggling with what I have struggled with for years. I hope I was able to help. Whatever you do, don't let it drag on for years as I did...because it will only worsen over time.

Take care!

HAfit88 profile image
HAfit88 in reply to osbo54

It’s reassuring to know that there are others out there that have dealt with similar experiences. I have been to a eye specialist and they said my eyes were healthy and there was nothing wrong with them. I get a lot of eye strain from tv, computers, driving and focusing on things. As all my symptoms were eye related o decided to go and visit an ophthalmologist but it all came back clear. I get nasty headaches in the back of my head and my eyes constantly feel drained from daily use. I feel like I’m drunk after I’ve been reading something on the computer and sometimes I end up with a migraine.

Sodown profile image
Sodown in reply to HAfit88

Omg I have this a don't think there's a cure for it I've had vertigo 10 years now and tbh the past 2 year my eyes are very funny. But a don't no if its anxiety related uts absolutely awful x

HAfit88 profile image
HAfit88 in reply to Sodown

I think people with anxiety put too much focus on a particular symptom and that’s what lingers and causes the symptom to feel worse. I think I have put too much attention on my eyes, which has caused me to think about them too much causing eye strain and other visual problems and dizziness.

Sodown profile image
Sodown in reply to HAfit88

Yes so true easier said then done though. My fear is the dizziness and of balance x

Agora1 profile image
Agora1 in reply to osbo54

osbo54, a great answer to a problem I think many of us have experienced.

Thank you for sharing :) xx

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