Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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VIPs, does anybody else feel like their sight gets "better" when stepping very far out of your comfort zone ? (self.Blind)
submitted by noaimpara
Do any other visually impaired person feel like their eyesight gets somewhat better when suddently stepping out your comfort zone ?
Context about my sight at the end, but there’s no need to read the whole post to give me an answer!!
TLDR of the story : used an electric scooter in a 100% safe place, but was still terrified. My sight felt like it was better when I was riding it.
The story :
I started wondering this because of something that happenned lately.
I was hanging out with my friends in a very big empty park and for some reasons we decided to try out one of those electric scooters that are all around the city for anyone to rent for a couple cents.
It was a completely safe thing, I was in this empty park with loads of smooth space, as a sober adult hanging out with my sober adult friends who all had my safety in mind. The thing was 100% safe and I knew it. But it was still very nervewracking and I was absolutely terrified.
My #1 coping mechanism is to always look down at my feet/the floor to make sure I don’t trip on anything, but on the scooter, I was force to stand straight and look ahead and for the time I was on it, it really felt like my sight was genuinely better. I could see things I had never seen otherwise, even if I looked up while walking (although it’s fair to point out that my sight does feel clearer when I look up, which is also out of my comfort zone).
I don’t know what caused that. Maybe the fear driven adrenaline rushing in, or maybe it was just looking up for more than five seconds at a time.
Whatever. I was wondering if anyone else ever experienced something like this. I feel like I experience sort of the same thing whenever I do something sort of my comfort zone, like hiking or climbing or doing a presentation at uni or a job interview or anything out of the ordinary really.
For context about my sight, I’m 20F, have lost my sight gradually since I was 14. I’m blind with fuzziness in my left eye, have no central vision in my right eye, and the remaining sight in there is hard to describe. I feel like it’s pretty okay-ish, but I can’t read signs, can’t read street names, can’t read books, can’t legally drive etc etc.
Context about my sight at the end, but there’s no need to read the whole post to give me an answer!!
TLDR of the story : used an electric scooter in a 100% safe place, but was still terrified. My sight felt like it was better when I was riding it.
The story :
I started wondering this because of something that happenned lately.
I was hanging out with my friends in a very big empty park and for some reasons we decided to try out one of those electric scooters that are all around the city for anyone to rent for a couple cents.
It was a completely safe thing, I was in this empty park with loads of smooth space, as a sober adult hanging out with my sober adult friends who all had my safety in mind. The thing was 100% safe and I knew it. But it was still very nervewracking and I was absolutely terrified.
My #1 coping mechanism is to always look down at my feet/the floor to make sure I don’t trip on anything, but on the scooter, I was force to stand straight and look ahead and for the time I was on it, it really felt like my sight was genuinely better. I could see things I had never seen otherwise, even if I looked up while walking (although it’s fair to point out that my sight does feel clearer when I look up, which is also out of my comfort zone).
I don’t know what caused that. Maybe the fear driven adrenaline rushing in, or maybe it was just looking up for more than five seconds at a time.
Whatever. I was wondering if anyone else ever experienced something like this. I feel like I experience sort of the same thing whenever I do something sort of my comfort zone, like hiking or climbing or doing a presentation at uni or a job interview or anything out of the ordinary really.
For context about my sight, I’m 20F, have lost my sight gradually since I was 14. I’m blind with fuzziness in my left eye, have no central vision in my right eye, and the remaining sight in there is hard to describe. I feel like it’s pretty okay-ish, but I can’t read signs, can’t read street names, can’t read books, can’t legally drive etc etc.
CanonofGlass 9 points 3y ago
No. I'd assume it has something to do with your overall awareness increasing because of the new situation though.
SableJane 6 points 3y ago
Awareness is the right word. I have very poor night vision, and when I am walking at night with my husband I don't see much at all, but if I have to go out alone, I get hyper-aware and find myself using my eyes more and seeing more as a result.
noaimpara [OP] 5 points 3y ago
I mean it might actually be that! I was definitely very alert and my whole body was just screaming "don’t fuck this up and get hit by a truck in this empty green space" so my intense focus probably made me feel like i could see better.
Envrin 4 points 3y ago
No, but no partial vision here. Wouldn't be surprised if that's what you experience though, as it's pretty natural for our bodies to react similarly when adrenaline rushes like that. It's a natural defense mechanism.
noaimpara [OP] 3 points 3y ago
That’s insane how chemistry in our body works!!
ScarReincarnated 3 points 3y ago
It is awareness. You open your eyes wider, you move them a lot more, and you focus twice as much. It happens when I run and I know theres no one in my way in the sidewalk.
Vision still the same really.
Vision still the same really.
noaimpara [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Someone also said this! That’s so interisting and amazing. I’m basically capable of seeing more than I thought.
BlueRock956 2 points 3y ago
If your sight feels clearer when you look up, why not get a cane so that you may walk comfortably. The cane would detect ground level obstacles while your vision will be clearer as you walk with your face facing fwd.
noaimpara [OP] 3 points 3y ago
I actually did try a cane! My city offered free mobility training so I tried it out and it did feel like I could see a lot more and it was more comfortable to walk outside, but I still don’t really like to use a cane because of the mental barrier. I hope I’ll grow out of it, but for now I just don’t feel like it :(
Mendy3273 1 points 3y ago
I may have experienced this. I rode a bike in the Walmart aisle and didn't hit anything! Just once up and again back, but still, I was impressed and have been pining for a bike ever since...even though my vision completely disappears when I'm outside, so there's no way for me to safely ride one at the park. I think it was the adrenaline.
bscross32 1 points 3y ago
Opposite for me. If I know the place well, my brain will fill in the details. Like, if there's enough for me to know where I am, I will be able to see hey, this counter has a coffee maker on it, the stove is there, etc. But, in a place I don't know, it just looks jumbled and messy, because I am not really seeing things well, and my brain has no data to use to fill in the gaps.
noaimpara [OP] 1 points 3y ago
That’s actually super interisting! I find my brain doesn’t do that at all. Everything is always messy as you say. I’m really not that observant of a person. The only thing I get out of knowing a place well is not walking into every piece of furniture, or knowing my way around a street.
SpikeTheCookie 1 points 3y ago
This is a great question!
There are a couple things that could have made you feel like your vision was better...
1) When you're under stress, your eyes dilate, letting in more light. For many vision disorders the amount of light greatly affects "how good you can see."
2) Since you usually look down at your feet (me, too), you're already limiting the light that enters your eyes due to head tilt and light source.
If you think about it, light doesn't come from the ground, usually. LOL But it does some from the sky and light fixtures, which are higher up.
So, if you're looking down, that's not where light comes from AND the tilt of your head also limits the light to a certain degree.
There are a couple things that could have made you feel like your vision was better...
1) When you're under stress, your eyes dilate, letting in more light. For many vision disorders the amount of light greatly affects "how good you can see."
2) Since you usually look down at your feet (me, too), you're already limiting the light that enters your eyes due to head tilt and light source.
If you think about it, light doesn't come from the ground, usually. LOL But it does some from the sky and light fixtures, which are higher up.
So, if you're looking down, that's not where light comes from AND the tilt of your head also limits the light to a certain degree.
noaimpara [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Thinking back at it, I did feel like there was a lot of light. That totally makes sense thanks for the explaination !
AnElusiveDreamer 1 points 3y ago
I never noticed anything like that, but stress and overall fatigue tend to make my vision seem worse. It’s interesting because I can never tell if it’s actually getting worse or just temporary.
noaimpara [OP] 2 points 3y ago
That also happens to me when I’m tired! When I’m tired I feel like my sight gets duller and I get worried until I sleep it off.
razzretina 2 points 3y ago
It does for almost everyone. When you're tired or stressed or especially both, your body just straight up doesn't work well. There are probably times of day when your sight is worse because that's the time when you're tired or you've been working all day and your vision has had enough. I have to work around that and so do my students.
RJHand 0 points 3y ago
Metaphorically yes. I'm completely blind but I mean, I still feel more comfortable and well, more experienced I should say, so yeah my sight is extended in a way. after doing something I never would have done previously or was hesitant to do before I lose the fear or nervousness surrounding said thing.
Good on you for trying new things, thats something my parents always encouraged me to do and it seems a lot of blind people don't do it as much as maybe they should.
Good on you for trying new things, thats something my parents always encouraged me to do and it seems a lot of blind people don't do it as much as maybe they should.
noaimpara [OP] 2 points 3y ago
That’s amazing to know! And I completey agree, more blind people should try to step out of their comfort zone as it just really helps emotionally in my opinion. Sadly, my parents were very overprotective so I never got to do stuff out of the ordinary before leaving for college.
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