IS THIS YOU?

Is this you? It doesn't have to be. In the pages of this blog and my book I have given sufficient evidence that Agoraphobia is a disorder of your eyes. I have explained that disorder and how you can get rid of it. I know you think this is a stretch but it isn't. This is your hope of a worry free life. You have to act now before it's too late. The sooner you alleviate this problem the sooner you can be well.  Yes, this will take an enormous amount of courage but look at the reward. There simply is no reason you cannot be whole and loving yourself. If you would spend half the time you spend on the internet  with other things and instead research this you would be much better off.  Make the first move. This will be the bravest thing you have ever ever done. 

I wish you the best, Yolanda

AGORAPHOBIA AND PIRATES

Do you remember the pictures of the pirates on the high seas?  All or at least some of them had one thing in common, they wore an eye patch. I don't really believe all of these pirates had their eye knocked out in fights. Research on the internet doesn't bring up a lot of information on this either. The one thing they all had in common was movement. When a storm came up the movement of the waves and the movement of the boat made them very dizzy and sick patching one eye solved the problem. Don't look this up on the net you won't find it. I am a secrete detective and I look into things like this. Anyway my point is that your eyes can and do make us sick. Dizziness is the one thing all agoraphobics have in common. 

This five minute cover test is not a permanent solution for your agoraphobia it just shows you that your eyes could indeed be your problem. Do what it says and draw your own conclusion.

Thinking of you, Yolanda

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)

AGORAPHOBIA AND BEING DIZZY

Hello everyone it's me. I am going to give you a lesson in agoraphobia 101. There is a lot of misconception of what agoraphobia is. The majority of people who don't have agoraphobia think it is a condition where one won't leave the house because their scared of something. They say we can't go to the store, or movies, or driving. We can't leave our room etc. Most believe we don't want to. Actually a lot of agoraphobics think the same thing. There are a few fighters out there that have a suspicion that something beyond their control is at play, not many.

Agoraphobia comes in 3 sizes, small, medium and large. I am only going to discuss the large variety in this post. The small and medium are no walk in the park but not quite as bad as the large.

Agoraphobia is the act of being DIZZY!

Many of you don't even know you're dizzy. When this first happened the first word you used to describe it was dizzyness but in time you let your friends and family and the medical community convince you that you weren't really dizzy or you would not be able to walk straight. How do I know this because that is what happened to me. Instead of saying you're dizzy you just make an excuse that sound good and go with that.

So now that we have a diagnosis let's talk about it. This dizziness comes and goes. In the large size of Agoraphobia the dizziness pretty much is quite regular. In small and medium it is intermittent. That is why a lot of them can still go out to work and lead more of a normal life. I did not say NORMAL I said more normal.

Here is the scenario: You are at the mall, all of a sudden out of no where you're dizzy, the first thing a dizzy person does is look for something to hold on to.  Finding nothing the FIGHT AND FLIGHT response kicks  in, with all it's adrenalynn. Now we are having breathing problems and shaking and our hearts are pounding out of our chests. This is what people do when they are overcome with fear. Now it's a race to the door. After a few of these episodes you are now in the fox hole (in our case house or bedroom) hanging on for dear life. The end result of one of these episodes is post traumatic stress syndrome. This is the condition they want you to desensitize yourself from.   GOOD LUCK!

 You don't have a fear of open places or going to the store or driving the car or going to restaurants you have a fear of being dizzy while you are doing these things.

Have you ever heard of the vestibular system? No? Your eyes, the inner ear, and the sensory systems of the body (such as the skin, muscles and joints) make up the vestibular system. This is also called the balance system. Really! Now being dizzy our balance and equilibrium is thrown off. So now we have to find out which one of these systems are making us dizzy then we can get it taken care of and guess what the agoraphobia is gone because the dizziness is gone. By the way being dizzy can bring on a host of problems along with the agoraphobic symptoms. There is nausea and vomiting, unsteady gate, drifting to one side while we walk, unsteadiness.

The good news is I have already done the work for you and it's your eyes. The condition is called HYPERPHORIA. This is a condition where one eye is higher than the other. You might not be able to tell by looking if one eye is higher but if you have agoraphobia you have this condition. It also has nothing to do with 20/20 vision. You can have 20/20 vision and still have hyperphoria.

This condition could affect stroke victims, traumatic brain injury, and neurological disorders.

At this time there is only one place you can go to for help. Why? Because in the school for ophthalmology this condition is not taught. Only a small testing with a spoon like device passed before the eyes is used. It takes all of 2 seconds. It should take over 2 hours and needs a doctor knowledgeable enough to do it. This knowledge did not come through the school it came through trial and error and a honest concern to help people. The place you have to go is Vision Specialists of Michigan. Through a unique set of circumstances they have perfected this and have helped many, many people. Go to www.vsofm.com  for more information. This might be hard for some of you to believe that only there you can get help but regretfully it is true. Those of you from the UK and   Australia go to the web site and ask for help.They love to share their knowledge with any doctor willing to come to their offices and learn. (Could some doctor come from Illinois and go there and learn this technique?   Please) In the mean time read "MY Story" and take the test on the right.

I am inserting a list of doctors that have went to Vision Specialists and have learned this technique and if you're lucky enough to be in their state you can go to them.

Map data ©2014 Google, INEGI Terms of Use Map WordPress Store Locator Viadat Creations

Vision Specialists of Michigan 2550 Telegraph Road Suite #100 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 Directions  | Website Cheryl Israeloff, O.D., Optical Image 86 Manetto Hill Mall Plainview, NY 11803 Directions  | Website Kathryn Collins, O.D., Kissel Village Eye Care 1026 Lititz Pike Lititz, PA 17543 Directions  | Website Clarke EyeCare Center 4314 Kemp Blvd. Wichita Falls, TX 76308 Directions  | Website City Optometry 530 Bush St, # 101 San Francisco, CA 94108 Directions  | Website

From now on if someone asks why you can't leave the house or do the things they want you to do just tell them you can't because you are DIZZY and no one can help you.

Those of you living in Canada Vision Specialists office is very close to you just over the border.

The best to all of you always, Yolanda

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.

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.

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·  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).

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·  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.

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·  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.

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·  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.

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·  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.

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

Yes. This condition tends to run in families.

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·  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.

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·  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

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IS YOUR AGORAPHOBIA GONE?

Hi everyone, I am asking for those who have gotten rid of the symptoms of agoraphobia and are now back to their normal selves before they had it. They are back functioning like the rest of society that don't have any trouble. By trouble I mean, they can stand in a long line and it's ok, they don't feel any dizziness or lightheadedness, their heart doesn't start pounding at the thought of walking out their front door, or getting into the car and driving somewhere, or sitting in a crowd of people and it's perfectly ok. Loud noises don't bother you. Walking a mile by yourself would be the best start of your day.Those of you who have gainful employment outside of the house because you don't mind leaving your house for 8 hours a day.
I am betting I can count the replies on on hand. Take  this opportunity to help your fellow sufferers by telling us how this happened and how you were freed from this disability.

You can click on the right for my story. Better yet why not order my book or my kindle.
Hugs,
Yolanda

DIZZINESS, LIGHTHEADEDNESS, NAUSEA,ANXIETY, FEELING OVERWHELMED?

• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Unsteadiness / Drifting while walking
• Poor Coordination / Clumsy
• Poor Depth Perception
• Motion Sickness
• Headaches / Face Pain
• Eye Pain / Pain with Eye Movement
• Neck Ache / Upper Back & Shoulder Pain
• Head Tilt
• Anxiety

Does this sound like something you have? 

Or maybe somebody you know has this.

Take the test on the right and know for sure.

Help is at www.vsofm.com

Love to you all, Yolanda

• Feeling Overwhelmed or Anxious in Crowds or Large Spaces
• Sensitivity to Light / Glare
• Double Vision
• Shadowed / Overlapping / Blurred Vision
• Difficulty with Reading & Reading Comprehension
• Skipping Lines / Losing your Place while Reading
• Fatigue with Reading
• Closing / Covering an eye to make it easier to see