Thursday, May 22, 2014

WHY IS EVERYONE LOOKING AT ME?

Do you ever have that feeling? We all do at some point but with the problem of Agoraphobia the problem becomes excessive. Let's try and break down this "everybody is looking at me feeling".
The reason's people look at other people for longer than a few minutes is varied. I break it down like this
                                  A. Their very handsome or pretty.
                                  B. Their doing something the normal person wouldn't do like playing music on the
                                       street corner or dressed in some really really strange fashion.
                                  C. Maybe they're pushing triplets in a stroller.

Then there are natural reasons people look at other people. We might look at the person in front of us while in the check out line. Or maybe you have just walked into a full restaurant we all tend to look. Then there is the doctor's waiting room, we all look at the new person.
Some of us are people watchers some are not. My husband is a people watcher, I am a people glancer. I like just one quick look because I don't want people to watch me so I treat them like I would like to be treated.  My husband doesn't even know he is doing this. Ok, so where am I going with this?

As Agoraphobics this is a BIG BIG BIG problem! Because of our many symptoms like dizziness, pitching forward feelings and head spins, along with the shaking and sweating and breathing etc. These things are all going on inside of us (except for the shaking and breathing). We tend to think everybody can see what is in our minds and what we are feeling. We feel like there is a big arrow pointing to us that we are different. It is really hard to be rational when we are going through this so the end result is a fear of people because they are looking at us.
When I lost my agoraphobic symptoms I lost the feeling and the thought that people are looking at me. It wasn't a feeling anymore of Me versus them. I felt a more oneness with everyone around me.
The panic and anxiety sufferer is looking at the world, THE WORLD IS NOT LOOKING AT THEM. That's easy to say if you're not going through all this but very hard to look at this logically with all those symptoms.
The answer of course is the prism glasses so you can be the person God intended you to be.
Take the hyperphoria test on the right and see if this applies to you.

The very best to all of you. Have a safe and fun memorial weekend.



Tuesday, May 20, 2014

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EYE IN EAR NOSE AND THROAT DOCTOR OR ENT?

I'm going to talk to you today about the Ear, Nose and  Throat doctors, or ENT.

Did you know that they used to be called the EYE, ear nose and throat doctor. I thought that was interesting how they don't deal with the eyes anymore. But actually a lot of them still do look at the eyes. Especially the ones that are connected with Vision Specialists of Michigan.
Most people go to an ENT because they specialize in ear balance and tinnitus and dizziness and meniere's disease also vertigo.
Did you know that a lot of these symptoms are felt by the Agoraphobic? More and more ENT's are sending them to specialists in Vertical Hyperphoria for their answer. Just thought you might like to know. Here is an interesting article on Eye, ear, nose and throat in the days of the EYE. Click on the eye test for hyperphoria on the right and see if this could be you.


An American Text-book of Diseases of the Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Ed

 edited by George Edmund De Schweinitz, Burton Alexander Randall











Monday, May 19, 2014

IS ONE EYE HIGHER THAN THE OTHER? TAKE THE TEST!

Happy Spring Everyone,
This is the year we are going to give Agoraphobia the boot! We are throwing it under the bus never to be seen again. The first thing we are going to do is take a test to see if you are a candidate for Vertical Heterophoria. This is the cause of most cases of Agoraphobia, anxiety and panic.I am living proof that this is the case. After having prisms put into my glasses my symptoms dropped off. This condition is inherited and runs in family. I am sure you have some one in your family with symptoms similar to yours. It can also be caused by Traumatic Brain Injury, and Neurological disorders.

Lets get started with the test. A score over 15 means you are a candidate for Vertical Heterophoria. Don't look at this as a bad thing. It means that you can have prisms put into your glasses and live a near to normal life again!  Woo Hoo!

After you take the test you can grade it.
Always= 3 points
Frequently= 2 points
Occasionally =1 points
never =0 points

A score of 15 points or higher could mean you are a candidate for this.

Directions: For each of the following questions, please check the answer that best describes your situation. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, answer the questions assuming that you are wearing them. Please answer every question. Never = Never
Occasionally = Less than 1 time / week
Frequently = At least 1 time / week
Always = Everyday
1. Do you have headaches and / or facial pain? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
2. Do you have pain in your eyes with eye movement? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
3. Do you experience neck or shoulder discomfort? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
4. Do you have dizziness and / or lightheadedness? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
5. Do you experience dizziness, light-headedness, or nausea while performing close-up activities (i.e. - computer work, reading, writing)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
6. Do you experience dizziness, light-headedness, or nausea while performing far-distance activities (i.e. - driving, television, movies)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
7. Do you experience dizziness, light-headedness, or nausea when bending down and standing back up, or when getting up quickly from a seated position? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
8. Do you feel unsteady with walking, or drift to one side while walking? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
9. Do you feel overwhelmed or anxious while walking in a large department store (i.e. – Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
10. Do you feel overwhelmed or anxious when in a crowd? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
11. Does riding in a car make you feel dizzy or uncomfortable? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
12. Do you experience anxiety or nervousness because of your dizziness? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
13. Do you ever find yourself with your head tilted to one side? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
14. Do you experience poor depth perception or have difficulty estimating distances accurately? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
15. Do you experience double / overlapping / shadowed vision at far distances? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
16. Do you experience double / overlapping / shadowed vision at near distances? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
17. Do you experience glare or have sensitivity to bright lights? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
18. Do you close or cover one eye with near or far tasks? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
19. Do you skip lines or lose your place while reading (do you use your finger or a ruler or other guides to maintain your position on the page)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
20. Do you tire easily with close-up tasks (computer work, reading, writing)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
21. Do you experience blurred vision with far-distance activities (i.e. - driving, television, movies, chalkboard at school)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
22. Do you experience blurred vision with close-up activities (i.e. - computer work, reading, writing)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
23. Do you blink to “clear up” distant objects after working at a desk or working with close-up activities (i.e. - computer work, reading, writing)? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
24. Do you experience words running together with reading? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
25. Do you experience difficulty with reading or reading comprehension? Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always

1.      

I also have another test for you to take. This is a cover test to be done when you are in the height of a symptom or panic. This test should reduce your symptoms. If this is the case you can know for sure you probably need prism glasses because your condition is because of your eyes.


5-Minute Cover Test

1.      If you have glasses or contact lenses that you wear normally for distance vision, wear them for this test
2.      Determine what symptom you are most bothered by on a daily basis
a.      Write down your symptom level at this moment on a scale of 0-10.
b.      If you are not experiencing symptoms at this time you cannot do this test until you are experiencing symptoms
3.      Get a timing device (phone, kitchen timer, etc)
4.      Sit down somewhere comfortable
5.      Keep both eyes open and “casually glance” out 8-10 feet, covering one eye
a.      Try to refrain from looking at any particular patterns
b.      Do not text or use the computer during this test
c.       Place your timer on for 5 minutes
6.      At the end of the 5 minutes, before uncovering your eye, determine on a scale of 0-10 the level of your symptom
a.      Write down the symptom level and compare to your previous symptom level



7.      If you don’t know which eye you should cover, do the cover test for each eye with a 20-minute period in between each eye.
a.      (Repeat steps 5-6 with 20 minutes in between each eye)


Wishing you all the best. Yolanda