Saturday, September 20, 2014

LOVE AND AGORAPHOBIA

Is it sometimes hard to love people in your life that just don't understand what you are going through? We must pray that they could feel the inner turmoil that we are going through. In the mean time lets practice this 13th passage of 1 Corinthians.

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

AGORAPHOBIA, VERTICAL HETEROPHORIA AND QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions


Vertical Heterophoria

Question

·  A. What is Vertical Heterophoria?
·  B. What are the symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria?
·  C. How is Vertical Heterophoria treated?
·  D. Can Vertical Heterophoria cause me to be anxious?
·  E. Can Vertical Heterophoria make it difficult for me to drive?
·  F. How do you get Vertical Heterophoria?
·  G. Does this condition tend to run in families?
·  H. How is the diagnosis of Vertical Heterophoria made?
·  I. How does eye misalignment make me have symptoms?
·  J. How long does the exam take?
·  K. Will I know at the end of the exam if the eye glasses will help me?
·  L. What age person can be helped?
·  M. Can you help patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
·  N. Can I be helped even though the car accident was 5-10 years ago?
·  O. How soon does the patient need to come back after receiving their first pair of glasses? 
·  P. Why are Progress Assessment visits necessary?
·  Q. On average, how many changes to the prescription are required before the final prescription is reached?
·  R. Do the symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria tend to get worse over time?
·  S. When do the patients need to wear the glasses?
·  T. Will I need a second pair, or back-up pair of glasses?
·  U. Can I wear contact lenses as a treatment for Vertical Heterophoria instead of glasses?
·  V. Does insurance cover your services?

Answer

·  A. What is Vertical Heterophoria?
Vertical Heterophoria is a condition where one eye sees the image higher than the other eye. Sometimes one eye is physically higher than the other. Sometimes the eyes are aligned correctly but muscle or nerve abnormalities cause the problem.

·  B. What are the symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria?
The most common symptoms are headaches and dizziness. The headaches are
usually in the front of the face or in the temples. The dizziness is described as a feeling of being disoriented, lightheaded or dizzy. Those who suffer from Vertical Heterophoria may also have other symptoms in addition to those of headaches and dizziness. These include:
  • pain symptoms such as face ache, eye pain or pain with eye movement (symptoms similar to sinus problems, migraines, TMJ problems); neck ache and upper back pain due to a head tilt (similar to spinal misalignment symptoms);
  • balance and coordination symptoms such as motion sickness, nausea, poor depth perception, unsteadiness while walking or drifting to one side while walking (“I’ve always been clumsy”), lack of coordination (symptoms are similar to those seen in patients with MS, sequela of a stroke, an inner ear disorder or Meniere’s Disease);
  • reading symptoms such as difficulty with concentration (symptoms are similar to those experienced with ADHD), difficulty with reading and comprehension, skipping lines while reading, losing one’s place while reading, words running together while reading (symptoms similar to those seen with a learning disability);
  • vision symptoms such as blurred vision, double or overlapping vision, shadowed vision (symptoms similar to those seen in patients with MS); light sensitivity, difficulty with glare or reflection;
  • psychological symptoms such as feeling overwhelmed or anxious when in large contained spaces like malls or big box stores like Wal Mart, feeling overwhelmed or anxious in crowds or with driving (symptoms similar to those seen in patients with anxiety or agoraphobia).


·  C. How is Vertical Heterophoria treated?
Vertical Heterophoria is treated by correcting the eye misalignment. To accomplish this, the optometrist will add prism to your glasses. The prism will bend light in such a way that the image seen by the eye is moved into the position it needs to be, in order to once again realign the eyes. Once this occurs, the muscles no longer have to strain, and the headaches, dizziness, blurred vision and other symptoms resolve.

·  D. Can Vertical Heterophoria cause me to be anxious?
Yes. People become anxious in crowds or large spaces, or with driving. Some people say the dizziness itself causes them to be anxious.

·  E. Can Vertical Heterophoria make it difficult for me to drive?
Yes. Depth perception is affected, as is the sense of balance and equilibrium, all of which make it difficult to drive.

·  F. How do you get Vertical Heterophoria?
Most often this is a condition you are born with (congenital). It may take years before symptoms occur, as the body will do the best it can to try and compensate for these problems. In some patients, this condition may be caused by head trauma, stroke, or neurological disorders.
There have been a number of patients who have developed VH (or had their VH worsened) due to a motor vehicle collision or other jarring incident (like falling) without documentation of a TBI. While the etiology of the VH in these situations is unclear, it is clear that the VH was precipitated (or worsened) by the incident because the symptoms started (or pre-existing symptoms were worsened) immediately after the incident.

·  G. Does this condition tend to run in families?
Yes. This condition tends to run in families.

·  H. How is the diagnosis of Vertical Heterophoria made?
There are many causes of dizziness, headache and blurred vision. The first step in diagnosing VH is to be certain that the symptoms aren’t actually being caused by another condition. The person should be evaluated by their own physician and / or specialists, and if no cause for the persons’ symptoms is found, then it may be that VH is the cause of their symptoms:
  1. The person is administered a specialized questionnaire that has been designed by Dr. Debby Feinberg to help diagnose those who have VH as a cause for their symptoms of dizziness, headache and blurred vision.
  2. The person fills out a detailed Health History form.
  3. An Optometric exam is performed to determine the need for correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
  4. A specialized exam is performed to determine if visual misalignment is present.
  5. The person is fitted with a trial version of their new prescription. Most people notice a significant improvement in their symptoms within 20-30 minutes of putting on the trial lenses.

·  I. How does eye misalignment make me have symptoms?
Eyes that are misaligned cause blurred or double vision. The brain does not tolerate blurred or double vision, so it forces the eyes to look at the exact same spot, so that only one image is seen. This is accomplished by straining the eye muscles to make one eye look up a little more, and the other eye to look down a little more. Over a long period of time, the straining of the eye muscles causes the pain symptoms of Vertical Heterophoria. As the muscles strain, they become fatigued and jittery, and can no longer keep the eyes in the correct alignment. This “bouncing” in and out of alignment creates the feeling of dizziness, lightheadedness, vertigo and a sense of imbalance.

Take the test on the right and find out if this is what is happening to you.

 All the best to you, Yolanda