Bring your karma
Join the waitlist today
HUMBLECAT.ORG

Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2020 - 11 - 23 - ID#jzbh9n
9
Hear me out, please. (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
[removed]
LadyAlleta 3 points 2y ago
I say try a counselor or therapist. From your words, it sounds a lot like you're needing a place to feel heard. It might help you with anxiety and relating it to your family.
Higgle_Biggle 2 points 2y ago
I have been, thank you. My dad is one of the guys that thinks anxiety and stress can be managed without therapy so he doesn’t attend. He’s supportive of me, I think it’s just too taboo of a subject(?). Years of therapy hasn’t helped with the state of my vision but it has improved my stress and anxiety management ☺️
80percentaccurate 2 points 2y ago
Is anyone saying conversion disorder? Sometimes when people get a diagnosis like conversion disorder the patient only hears that their visual impairment is ‘all in their head’. This could be why doctors and your parents don’t seem to care. If this is your diagnosis please understand that it’s not as simple is willing yourself not to be blind, or that you are simply making it up. It means the doctor you need to treat you is a psychologist, not an ophthalmologist. You need to work through whatever stress, anxiety, or trauma is causing this symptom, and an eye doctor can’t help with that. My job is to teach the braille and cane skills you mentioned and I’ve worked with students with conversion disorder before. In my experience, the training I give them isn’t very helpful because their brain can process images. It just feels like they can’t. These students are the ones that will sharply veer off course to strike an object with their cane instead of walking as anyone else does with a visual impairment. They look at braille with their eyes rather than feeling with their fingers... which doesn’t help any eye strain they may feel. I’m not saying this is what you have, but if the eye doctor gave you a clean bill of health you need to go talk to a psychologist.
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
It’s not necessarily that he gave me a clean bill of health, it’s a bit confusing. Anatomically, my eyes scream signs of glaucoma, and it’s in my family as well. Not saying that’s what I have, but they’ve made me aware that my eyes are in some way abnormal. What they are telling me is that they aren’t really sure what’s going on, and even psychological, if I’m not able to control it with years of therapy appointments with a counselor and psychologist, they want to assume that it’s something more than.

I live in a very small town with very limited resources. I went to specialists all across my state, except the neuro-optho because of covid. They’ve all found something that is new to all my doctors yet they can’t explain my symptoms. They diagnosed me with accommodative insufficiency (can’t remember if this is the correct type) with convergence insufficiency. I’ve tried visual therapy with cycloplegic drops, I’ve tried fresnel lenses, dilation with contacts (and reading glasses for near work). I shouldn’t say that they aren’t willing to work, they’re just as clueless as I am.

And I believe it could be psychological, but as much as I meditate, get acupuncture, go to therapy, have tried medications, nothing has improved the quality of my vision, not even a little. Anyway, the long winded answer is no, my psychologist never mentioned it to me, so I would assume she didn’t think of it. I appreciate your help though, I very much do.
niamhweking 2 points 2y ago
With your diagnosis, or lack there of, can you access any help in your area? I know in ireland all OM falls to a charity (NCBI), as do daily living skills. Braille is thought by the government teachers for the blind. Have you contacted perkins school for the blind in Massachusetts? They could point you in the right direction. Do guide dog charities in your area also do cane training?
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
I believe I can but with covid it’s been hard. Not using it as an excuse, but my dad is a bit discouraging towards the idea. If my diagnosis is true and my visual acuity is just garbage, there’s actually been a few surgeries done on younger patients that have had some success rate but my doctor nor my father wants me to risk it, and I don’t blame them. I believe I have a resource counselor through my therapist that I can contact when it comes to O&M, I’m just scared to ask because I feel like I don’t qualify for it, if that makes any sort of sense.
changeneverhappens 2 points 2y ago
Do you find that there's a color that attracts your attention more? Like red, gold, green, etc.

Is it harder to view 2D images such as pictures than 3D images?

Is it hard to use your vision when people are talking or theres distractions around you?

Do you visually 'lose' items if they're placed on a busy background, such as a patterned comforter?

Are lights or movement distracting for you? Have you ever found yourself staring at ceiling lights or fans?

Edit: I noticed that you stated that you 'had' ROP in another post. ROP doesn't just go away. Its a lifelong condition.
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
I should have phrased that we recently found out I have ROP, but it’s to a very minimal degree that the optometrist doesn’t suspect it would be causing this many problems.

I do find that some colors catch my eye better than some, like red and purple. I have tested my depth perception at my ophthalmologist’s office and it’s trash. I can’t see the images that pop up in the little book with my strongest prescription.

It’s not hard to use my vision with other distractions. I feel that the more distractions I have the easier it is to strain my eyes to try and accommodate the lack there of and I can avoid my headache for about 2 hours, (this is usually at my place of work).

I stare at lights a lot. I think it’s mostly because I have that annoying halo glare, but at night I will fixate on lights a lot more than during the day time. I don’t usually notice it but when I do it’s usually at night.
DogsSureAreSwell 1 points 2y ago
Speaking to making it easier to read and write...every phone computer these days comes with magnifiers and screen readers, and there are $1. National federations for the blind provide free to very inexpensive introductory braille materials (and lots of free advice). You don't need any cash or parental approval to learn, so you could quietly arrive at college on day one with those skills in hand and then quietly visit their office of disability services to learn how to get yourself a 504 plan to make sure your course materials were accessible to you.

I hope you are able to get another second (third/fourth) opinion. Most people with rare and weird symptoms get told it is all in their head by mundane local doctors until they can find a doctor who can actually diagnose it because they have seen it before. So many weird things out there, and I know a lot of people who had some terrible years being dismissed by doctors for things that turned out to be treatable but rare. But even if it WAS psychological rather than physical in origin, that doesn't mean it's fake or your fault or something you can wish away; psychological symptoms are REAL, persistent symptoms that need REAL treatments -- then you should have a constellation of doctors working on cognitive behavioral therapy and specific eye exercises (migraine specialists have ocular physical therapy techniques) and things like that (maybe you do I dunno). And if THEY see you are highly motivated and compliant patient and it's not *doing* anything, they can call your physical doctor back on your behalf and tell them it's sure as heck *not* in your head and you need more tests and/or to be declared legally blind for the accommodations and benefits that provides.
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
Thank you for your reply, I’ve tried visual therapy and I even went to a specialist that studied with eye-muscle disorders and yet was still told it’s all in my head because I’m 19 and I’m “too young to have these problems”. I’m tired of the excuse considering how premature I was I’m going to keep being persistent and eventually someone will help me. Thank you!
DogsSureAreSwell 1 points 2y ago
Uggh that sucks. Not that I have any idea what is going on, but there are so many things, infectious, inflammatory or congenital, that are not age related at all.

Maybe a good follow-up question for you for this subreddit would be a request for specialist recommendations in your area.
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
For sure. Thank you again, I appreciate it. I’ve been told it could be accommodative spasm but no one knows how to treat a persistent one. I go to therapy and for the most part I’m pretty low on anxiety and stress. Hopefully we figure something out. Thank you again!
DrillInstructorJan 0 points 2y ago
You can see "color that's about it" but you're driving? How does that work?
Higgle_Biggle 1 points 2y ago
I should have phrased better that my visual acuity is just garbage. I don’t feel comfortable driving with the state of my vision.
DrillInstructorJan 2 points 2y ago
Then don't do it.
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc   •   HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.