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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2020 - 02 - 23 - ID#f8kf2l
13
Is it wrong to get so uncomfortable when people look me in the eye? (self.Blind)
submitted by SlaveToTheSystem_20
I'm blind in one eye with a little vision in the other. My right eye wanders. When I'm talking to someone they always seem to stare. At my right eye and it makes me sooo uncomfortable. It's gotten to the point where I'm hesitant to speak to anyone but my spouse and family. When I do speak to anyone else, I do awkward things like looking away from them while speaking or squinting so they can't see my eye wander. I don't want to be so self conscious but I can't help it!
changeneverhappens 12 points 3y ago
Hi there! I'm a sighted teacher for the visually impaired. I'm not visually impaired but one of the things I teach is social interaction skills.

It's totally normal to be self conscious! When navigating these interactions, keep these things in mind

People with functional vision (full or impaired) tend to make eye contact during conversations. To not do so can appear rude to some people (this can vary)

Knowing this, they may be trying to not appear rude by trying to maintain eye contact. (they may also be unsure how! We're an awkward species, you're not the only one 🤷)

I'd reckon that a good chunk of the people you're interacting with aren't actually staring at your eye, they're simply making eye contact (which can be intense and uncomfortable for the receiver for a variety of reasons).

They may look at your eye, which you'll probably notice, simply because humans naturally notice differences in each other, but polite folks worth talking to will knock it off once they realize what they're doing. If you're comfortable doing so, a brief, light comment explaining your disability may help lighten the mood (example: "I have amblyopia, which means I don't always have control over that eye, anyways, you were saying?...")

There will always be the weirdos who stare and refuse to be gently or otherwise corrected. We all have to deal with those for some reason or another. Thankfully, they are few and far between and their lives must be terribly pathetic to behave in such ways.

Most people don't care and will pick up more on your discomfort and read into that.
Try role playing with your spouse and some trusted friends on some social interactions that you come across in your daily life. Role play positive experience, role play how you'd gently correct someone, role play ending a conversation politely or not so politely when someone refuses to be a decent member of society.

Good luck! Please know that your feelings are totally valid, but its not something worth letting control you!
BlakeBlues 3 points 3y ago
I'm legally blind with a lazy eye! I am so self conscious about it. I generally look away periodically. I I knows it's uncomfortable
bscross32 1 points 3y ago
I've never been able to look people in the eye. SO , my vision makes it so that I'd have to be fairly close anyway, but I can't even make myself do it. To me, it's so cringy, and I feel like a creep and I can't do it. I realize it's not a good thing but it's just something about me that kind of is what it is at this point.

​

It also has nothing to do with them looking at me, it's purely me looking at me. If I feel like I may have accidentally made eye contact, I feel so uncomfortable about it.
AlmostBlindBitch 1 points 3y ago
I hate it when people think they are catching me out because my eyes can folllw what I am focused on, or if I am making eye contact. Soometimes I just look the right way out of politeness because it hurts sometimes.
futurephysician 1 points 3y ago
I have the exact same thing as you and feel the same way. People thought it was autism, would be so weird and explain a ton if it was related to my eyesight. I always struggled with eye contact.
Crackerjack540 1 points 3y ago
I'm more or less the same. Except that I only make eye contact occasionally. With strangers typically only during an introduction. I typically look down a lot. I'm 6'4" so I'm mostly looking down anyway. I work in the service industry so avoiding human contact isn't really an option for me. I get the "special needs" slow talk and compliments on what a good job I'm doing a lot. I really sort of wish I could wear a sign that says I'm more blind then not blind. Get over it.

Sorry. That's probably not very helpful but it is something that I think about a lot.
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