Seeing shadows, reflection and light sensitivity

[[Tr...]]

 

“The Accidental Addict” by Di Porritt & Di Russell, 2006

 

Eyes and Vision

 

Blurred, foggy or fading vision

 

“Episodes of blurred vision and difficulty in focusing bother most sufferers. People might visit an oculist (eye doctor) several times to have their eyes tested.”

 

"While blurred vision seems to affect the function of the eye itself, foggy vision is ‘out there’ in the environment, and might include an impression that the room is full of smoke or mist - you find yourself always trying to clean your glasses because they seem smoky or smeared, or there is a cloud in front of your eyes. A dimming of vision is also experienced."

 

 

“Some people see flashes of light.”

 

 

Acute sensitivity to light

 

“People in withdrawal tend to dread the bright, sunny days that everyone else welcomes as ‘lovely weather’. Strong light may induce extreme disorientation, anxiety, sweating, even nausea.”

 

 

Red, sore, watery eyes

 

“Many people are plagued by red, pimply, weepy eyes.”

 

“Eyes can be painful as well as red and unsightly, feeling sore, gritty, itchy, grating and burning- rather like bad conjunctivitis. These benzo-affected eyes produce a lot of liquid, usually referred to as ‘gunge’ or ‘gunk’.”

 

Perceptual distortions

 

“Many people find that their visual perceptions are no longer reliable. Things seem to be moving as they look at them. Their spatial sense suffers, making them clumsy and awkward: ‘I kept bumping into walls like a drunk’. Driving skills can be badly impaired by these perceptual distortions, making it hard to negotiate tunnels and traffic lanes.”

 

“Perceptual distortions can also make it difficult to talk to others in social situation. People around you start to look distorted, or to seem smaller or further away.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Recovery & Renewal: Your essential guide to overcoming dependency and withdrawal from sleeping pills, other 'benzo' tranquilizers and antidepressants” by Bliss Johns 2012

 

Symptoms from A to Z

 

Eyes: sore, dry, red, tired, blurred vision, double vision, floaters, glazed, glassy appearance

 

Visual: seeing things e.g. flashing lights

 

Blurred Vision: everything appears blurred, problems reading and seeing generally

 

Vision blurred or double: everything appears blurred, problems reading, seeing ‘double’

 

Visual perception distortion: seeing ‘things’, inanimate objects appear to be moving, people and objects appear flat, one-dimensional and paper-like

 

Light Hypersensitivity: everything seems intensely and unbearably bright, feeling the need to wear sun glasses even inside, unable to look at computer screen

 

Moving sensations: false perceptions of body moving

 

Perceptual Distortion: Speech is distorted, unable to follow a conversation, time delay or inability to reconcile words being uttered with movement of mouth.

 

False sensation of moving e.g. feeling as though falling through bed, chair or as if part of body is moving away

 

Visual (seeing ‘things’) e.g. flashing lights, inanimate objects appear to be moving, people appear flat, one- dimensional and paper-like, buildings leaning, undulating floors (wavelike movement)

 

OMG all of this. I have been to eye doctors, ear doctors, neurologists, psychiatrists

So reassuring to read all of these comments in the thread.

 

Flashes of light, zings off light through my vision, iridescent colored after images (especially in bright light), dizziness when going into a room with different lighting - especially if it’s fluorescent lights. Shadows moving scare me, someone walks behind me and I see I shadow it makes me lose my balance. Can’t tell the difference in things moving that I see and my OWN body moving. Sitting at a stoplight with cars going by makes me dizzy.

Quick changes light to dark (going past a group of trees with sun shining through them when driving makes me dizzy.

All of this is gone during windows. Comes back with waves.

 

Splitting my K dose to twice a day and doing daily micro taper helped all of this so much.

I taper the smallest amount my scale will measure (0.001g) every 4 days. Slow as heck, but tolerable. Hitting waves only every month or so now.

More good days than bad.

I have tapered 60% of my dose over 2-3 years.

[[Le...]]

Hi Treelover,

 

Thanks for the reply and reassurance. I am glad you having good days than bad. Good luck with your taper.

[[Le...]]

Hi,

 

I had these types of symptoms as well, the vertigo, balance problems and heightened sensitivities.  This is all par for the course.  Benzos do tend to deaden the senses, and when they're discontinued there's a real "rebound effect," that is everything seems brighter, louder, and overstimulating.  Certain colors or patterns would really bother me and tiny noises rooms away would keep me awake.  I also had significantly distorted senses of vision, taste and smell.

 

But, this is all gone now.  Healing takes time--your brain chemistry is slowly returning to normal, and all of these symptoms are only temporary. 

 

[[Le...]]

My journal of symptoms TIA if you read

 

dissociation visual disturbances

Light is too bright, colors are more vivid, liquids or anything with a reflective surface are extra sparkling, too shiny, & or just doesn't look right, water so, times looks more like baby oil,sometimes it is harder to see the details of objects, as they are blurry or just seem distanced & sometimes things look more detailed, like in photos or on tv, they pop out at me & look a little bizarre or unreal, phone numbers & letter sometimes look very bold & clear & sometimes look very skinny, & sometimes just seem to jump around too fast & look overwhelmingly busy for my eyes. I'm usually blurry in the mirror & it seems like I can't look myself straight in my eyes-like I'm standing there trying to, but it seems I'm off just a bit, dogs faces look misshapen, like their nose will look longer or the curves of their faces aren't right, depth perception seems off, sometimes my dogs hair looks blurred together & airbrushed(giving that cartoon effect)& sometimes it looks fluffy, textured & detailed, & sometimes they look blurry & far away, sometimes everything looks foggy & blurry, or like I'm looking through foggy glass, sometimes it's like I'm looking through glaring glass, I don't feel like I can trust my sense of judgement visually, cognitively, nor emotionally(the emotional part is normal for depression, & anxiety, though)i.e. I can't always tell if something is wet or dry, or I can't quite make out visually what I'm seeing at first with some things, I don't recognize what they are right away like I normally would-like I have to look & think harder to figure it out-I'm not feeling fully aware of my surroundings, I.e. I may come close to accidentally stepping on my dogs foot, my judgement & cognitive reaction processing time is off/slower than on auto pilot as I normally would be, slow decision making, poor cognition, can't grasp complex subjects, poor short term memory off & on, sometimes simple cognitive tasks seem too difficult/overwhelming(I know part of that could be depression, but it's different than just that) it's like my brain & eyes are easily overwhelmed with too much stimuli. I'm having a dissociated & or disconnected feeling, where I feel like the world is just going on without me & I can't quite connect, like I'm on the inside looking out & it's a very sad & lonely & awful feeling & along with that is like there's a pause button, where I am either too fatigued, anxious, or unmotivated-it's hard to describe-but like a combination of those feeling with this there's a 'break on' 'feeling', restricting me from texting, calling, or reaching out to others in anyway, like a lack of dopamine effect, maybe. It's like I'm pretending to be ok, here in this world, for myself,S.O., dogs & loved ones, but I can't really feel the connection & feel I'm in a separate world that I can't break out of to be back in the world that I know is all around me-it's so hard to explain.

[[Le...]]

I realize now that my anxiety last night, magnified what is going on between me and G.  It's true that he has said some mean things.  It's also true that I have as well.  It is true that his yelling at me made me anxious.  It's also true that me modifying my behavior and not telling him will not solve the problem and only breed resentment.  What REALLY true is that having anxiety about all this damn crap is not helping me solve any of it.  I think I do like anger better than anxiety in this way.  At least anger gives me a motivation and confidence to actually say something, whereas anxiety makes me afraid. 

 

When I get real anxious, like I did last night, there's no logic that will calm me down.  I get extra sensitive to everything.  I jump at the sight of shadows and feel very paranoid.  I have tried breathing exercises many times, but when I start to get paranoid, the breathing exercises don't help.  I wonder if solving a puzzle would help or doing some math.  I have heard this can help you break out of negative thoughts.  I read a whole article about how doing math can stop negative thoughts, only never to be able to find that article again.  Kind of amazing in this world where you can find just about anything on the internet, and I can't find an article I have already read.

[[Le...]]

http://198.58.99.130/forum/index.php?topic=34128.msg488597#msg488597

[[Jo...]]

I have developed eye issues recently as well.. don't know if its benzo related..as I did not have them before when on bentos for a long time.. tapered off... had nerve issues.. went back on for 2 months and now I have eye issues.. don't know if they're benzo related or related to nerve issues. I was also on prednisone when it started.  But blurry vision - check, light sensitivity - check, strange focusing issues - check. 

 

I hope yours have resolved Legendg2. Many of the posters you shared simply "disappeared" for some reason - i have no idea why. 

[[Cl...]]

Light sensitivity is most definitely a withdrawal symptom. It can be pretty annoying and stressful. When I quit benzos in my early 20s the sensitivity went away rather fast. This time around different story.

[[Le...]]

I have developed eye issues recently as well.. don't know if its benzo related..as I did not have them before when on bentos for a long time.. tapered off... had nerve issues.. went back on for 2 months and now I have eye issues.. don't know if they're benzo related or related to nerve issues. I was also on prednisone when it started.  But blurry vision - check, light sensitivity - check, strange focusing issues - check. 

 

I hope yours have resolved Legendg2. Many of the posters you shared simply "disappeared" for some reason - i have no idea why.

 

Hi Joe,

 

I am sorry that you also  have eyes issues. If you are tapering or stopped benzo, most probably the vision problem is induced by it. Meanwhile, better get your eyes checked by a doctor. I checked mine as I am seeing halos from light sources at night. I became more sensitive to lights at night. Usually i will be in dimly light room. In a bright setting, i will become more anxious and uneasy.

 

Hope this eyes issue will resolved soon for both of us. Why they dissapeared? What happened to their symptoms ?I ask myself the same questions.😅