AGORAPHOBIA AND HETEROPHORIA, IF YOU HAVE ONE YOU HAVE THE OTHER.

AGORAPHOBIA AND HETEROPHORIA, IF YOU HAVE ONE YOU HAVE THE OTHER.

Heterophoria is where the two eyes have difficulty looking directly at the image being viewed. The eye muscles take over and try to correct this condition. But over a long period of time the eye muscle becomes over worked and you end up with the symptoms of agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is not the result of panic, panic is the result of agoraphobia. Some symptoms are strained eye muscles which cause headaches, usually in the front of the face or in the temples. As the muscles strain they become fatigued and they quiver, causing the eyes to move rapidly but minutely, which creates the feeling of dizziness, lightheartedness  disorientation and a sense of imbalance. Other symptoms are face ache, eye pain or pain with eye movement. These symptoms are similar to sinus problems, migraines, TMJ problems, neck ache and upper back pain due to head tilt. Symptoms similar to spinal misalignment problems, motion sickness, nausea, poor depth perception, unsteadiness while walking or drifting to one side while walking, lack of coordination. There are also symptoms similar to those seen in patients with MS or Meniere’s disease. Difficulty with concentration similar to ADHD. Difficulty with reading comprehension, skipping lines, while reading, words running together while reading similar to those seen with learning disability. Also blurred vision, double or over lapping vision, shadowed vision, light sensitivity, difficulty with glare or reflection.

Feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious when in large contained spaces. Like malls or big box stores. Feeling overwhelmed or anxious in crowds seen in patients with agoraphobia and anxiety. This condition may be caused by head trauma, stroke, or neurological disorders. However, most often this is a condition you are born with. It may take years before symptoms occur, as the body will do its best to compensate for these problems. This condition runs in family’s

To correct this problem, the optometrist adds prism to your lenses. Prism is a way of making the lenses such that the image seen by the eye is moved up or down or to the side. Whatever is needed to allow the eye to point in the correct direction without straining the eye muscles. Proper prism correction leads to a reduction of symptoms of (on average) about 80%.

This information was taken from the book “If the Walls of my Exam Room Could Talk” by Debby Feinberg O.D.

OK NOW WHAT!

You have been diagnosed with HETEROPHORIA. This means you have been to a optometrist that is knowledgeable in this field. Sorry to say very few of them are. I went to Vision Specialists of Michigan. I have also posted a list of doctors in the country that are also knowledgeable. You have been told that indeed your both eyes are not looking at the same thing. You have been fitted with prism glasses. So now the journey  out of your nightmare can begin.

I was so far off with my vision I had to have prisms put in a little at a time. Too much correction would have left me in worse shape than what I came in. Some people find relief and a change right away. In my case it was not like that. Prisms were put in over a period of 3 years. I kind of knew when it was time for more correction. Dr. Debbie told me I had to find "MY NEW NORMAL" and find it I did.

A little at a time I started feeling better. Doing things I could never do before. She told me to keep a journal and whenever I noticed anything that was different to write it down. I started to notice things. Like the trees in my backyard were closer than before. Whenever my neighbor came over to visit when I was in the back yard I started to formulate my escape plan. Standing talking to anybody without any thing to hold on to meant I would get a pitching forth feeling and go into a panic. This day was no different I was waiting for the pitching forth feeling but for some reason it didn't come. I was somewhat anxious but not dizzy. My journal started filling up with things I noticed. My husband and I would go shopping on Fridays to WalMart. At this point I could shop alone while he was in another part of the store. I remember going around an isle in the store and I felt like I was walking at an angle, this was pretty scary and I felt a panic coming on and my hands were sweating. I told myself that this could be the glasses and my New Normal was trying to take hold. Also I noticed if I went to fast pushing the cart the shelf would be whizzing by and all the colors on the packages became like a kaleidoscope going around and around. This feeling was instant panic and time for the door. Agoraphobics do everything fast. We just want to get back to our safe place. Were like mice we dart in and out of our hole.

After having some success with my glasses up to this point I decided to try and work through the problem at WalMart. I forced myself to slow down. I would just stop when this happened and inspect anything that was close. I didn't want to look weird just standing there. After repeatedly doing this the feelings left. Maybe it was about a year. Again you have to realize I was a very bad case some people are not this bad.

I realized what was happening was called desensitization. I had to let the brain learn not to be afraid. It had to start to learn a new way to feel. This is not going to happen overnight but it is going to happen. You will still need a safe person until you start to trust your glasses and your self. The glasses take care of about 85 to 90% of the problem that 10 to 15 % that is left you will probably have to live with. You had nothing before your prism glasses now you are 87% better. Can you say AMEN!

Being a male makes it harder. Men are the breadwinners so there is more responsibility to bring home the bacon but don't be discouraged there are all kinds of ways to do that. Just be more creative in how you do it. And please promise me you won't blame yourself for this. You just got the wrong genes.  Another thing you can think about, look at all the life lessons you have learned while being agoraphobic. Your just down right special for all you have been through. There are a lot of people who need help out there with this problem. Get well so you can help them.

Wishing you all the best. Leave a comment I would love to hear from you, I will answer. Just say HEY if nothing else.

Love you all, Yolanda

CAN YOU RELATE TO ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS?

1. Anxiety associated with being uncomfortable while driving in a moving vehicle.Concern that a dizzy episode will occur while they are driving, and that they will not be able to pull over to the side of the road to get to safety, before harming themselves or others.
2. Anxiety associated with being in a space with a tall ceiling (i.e. malls, grocery stores, big box stores). All of the multiple stimuli and detail in a large space can overload the visual system and trigger a dizzy episode with the resultant feeling of being overwhelmed.
3. Overwhelmed when in a group with many people due to the many faces and stimuli triggering dizziness.
4. Generalized anxiety, sometimes severe enough to cause suicidal ideation.

Please Note: These symptoms are similar to those seen in patients with agoraphobia or anxiety syndromes.

Do these symptoms seem familiar to you. Take the test on the right to see what you can do about them.

AGORAPHOBIA AND PRISIMS

Here is what is really going on with your symptoms of agoraphobia. Your eyes are doing this and causing all your problems. Is that too simple? Well it's the truth. Be well, don't just give in, you can do it. Click on the test on the right and see if this is you.

The best to you all.

1. While the body is doing the best it can to fix the eye misalignment, this approach causes a lot of problems. There has to be a better way to get the image onto the fovia without needing to reposition the eye. And there is!
2. Since 1995, our doctors at have performed groundbreaking research into the use ofprism (in green) which is at the heart of our Vis-AlignTM Glasses. Prism can bend beams of light, and can redirect the image (red dotted arrow) onto the center of the back of the eye (the fovea (big red arrowhead)) while the eye is in it’s original, slightly misaligned position (black arrow). Since there is no need to realign the eye, there is no overuse of the eye muscles, which markedly reduces or eliminates the symptoms of Binocular Vision Dysfunction.
3. 

CHANCES OF SUCCESS FOR BEATING AGORAPHOBIA

Here are your chances of success for beating your agoraphobia if you choose not to believe that agoraphobia and HETEROPHORIA are linked as the cause of your agoraphobia and panic and anxiety.
Hopeing and believing you will see the connection.

THE CAGED BIRD

Caged Bird

BY MAYA ANGELOU

A free bird leaps

on the back of the wind   

and floats downstream   

till the current ends

and dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and   

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams   

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream   

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied   

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.

This just about says it all. Can we identify with this or what!

My friends please, please don't believe you have a mental illness you do not! Don't let anyone talk you into thinking that. Click on the test to the right and get the help you need for your disability. Love you all, Yolanda

IS THE PRICE TO HIGH TO PAY?

Ok, we have made the supreme attempt to leave our safe zone. Maybe it was to go to a wedding, or a son's baseball game, or maybe dinner party with a dear friend.  We somehow got through it just to suffer the consequences afterwards  for a week, is it worth it?
Has this happened to you? We made the decision to go so now we labor over it and fret for a week. We go through anxiety and stress every time we think about it. We get dressed and somehow get in the car and arrive at our destination. We hold on and some how through the Grace of God we get through it and we are back in our safe place. Now we are told we should be slapping ourselves on the back and hi fiving ourselves for a great success, how come that is not what we are doing. Instead we go into deep depression, and cry and suffer more anxiety for longer periods of time then before we went. Does this sound right? There

has to be a better way, and there is. Take the test on the right and see if you need this. If you have what I had the answer is yes. It's your time get the help you need and you won't have to pay the price again.

Wishing you all the best, leave a comment, Yolanda