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Why do my eyes feel weird looking at certain objects?

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kellie7

Feb 10, 2012

To: I_SEES_U_NOW

Thank you for your insight and sharing your boyfriend's story with us.

Can I ask what other forum you are refering to? Do you have a link? I would love to check it out.

Regards

Kellie

tomsav

Feb 10, 2012

To: SEESdad55

I have had this for as long as i can remember - certainly back to being 6 or 7, probably much further.

tomsav

Feb 10, 2012

To: All

I've been thinking of starting a website related to this for a while, to distil the info that had built up here. Any thoughts?

Unfortunately all the SEES-related ones were taken, and I wanted a name i could get a .com address, a Twitter login and a Gmail address for, all the same name.

So I'll still call the condition SEES - but if you're into that kind of thing follow PointsHurt on Twitter and let's see what comes of it! (MedHelp mods - don't delete, i'm driving traffic back here)

carecare35

Feb 10, 2012

To: tomsav

That sounds great.  Go for it.

What about a facebook page?  I think we talked about that in the past.  I too like the idea of linking it to here for sure.  :)

I don't do twitter...haha...have enough places I visit online...twitter just is something to waste more of my time.

CC

carecare35

Feb 10, 2012

To: I_SEES_U_NOW

Just now read your post. Very interesting. We are a gluten free household now but you are correct...have I totally rid our house of gluten residue..probably not. I did a lot but maybe a good thorough cleaning and tossing of some more plastic utensils that I still have would be most helpful! Thanks for the reminder.

CC

ps. I don't think a gluten free diet has to be all that difficult. Eating more whole foods and less processed is so much healthier. Getting the shopping guide also was a tremendous help while shopping when we first went gluten free. It was a reference guide to brands and types of foods that were gluten free.

Wrestler15

Feb 27, 2012

hey guys whats up? im going to a neurologist tomorrow so maybe i can get some answers

tomsav

Feb 28, 2012

To: Wrestler15

Hi there Miguel. Hope the appointment goes well.

Would you mind letting us know what your doc says?

Ask him about things that would cause increased pressure in your brain/eyes/sinuses. The more I hear about this the more I'm convinced it's a pressure problem (maybe one with different causes in different people).

All the best,
Tom

Wrestler15

Feb 28, 2012

Hello I actually have a couple of problems with my eyes that I didnt know about that my parents and I talked about with the neurologist today. Apparently when I was 5, the doctor thought that I was going to lose vision eventually in my right eye. Although this didnt happen, my right eye is now the eye that mostly bothers me with SEES. Also, what I did know, was that my regular eye doctor told me a few years ago that I have unusual high pressures in my eyes and she thought it was glaucoma. So I went to a specialist to rule out glaucoma a few months ago and she found that i also have very large optic nerves and i think corneas too. I told her about SEES and she told me she never heard of it and just told me it was just probably eye irritation. So nothing was physically wrong with my eyes. After this I decided to go to a neurologist because SEES might be brain related. Today, I told the neurologist about the high eye pressure but he didnt really say anything. He hasnt heard of this either and told me that it was probably nothing serious but scheduled an MRI that I will be getting this Saturday and an EEG? or something im taking next wednesday. If they do find anything then hopefully it can be cured. But I dont think that it might have to do with just eye pressure alone because the eye specialist told me high eye pressure is a common thing so wouldnt that make SEES more common? Its just all so confusing...

Wrestler15

Feb 28, 2012

The neurologist also gave me some meds to help with the migranes (migraines) near my eyes that i have been getting lately and told me hoplefully they will help with the SEES symptoms too. I also noticed that wearing my glasses rather than contacts helps sometimes because my eyes feel more "protected" if that makes sense. It also gets worse when im stressed, depressed, or frustrated about SEES so I try to stay happy and that helps too. So maybe it is stress related.

ciarar

Feb 29, 2012

I actually can't believe I found people that have the same symptoms as me!! Okay so if im lying in bed the corner of the drawers beside me irritate my eyes! It feels like that corner is going into my eye! and people just think it's weird when i try to explain it.. it's usually the corners of cupboards, drawers, hangers, pens, (anything pointy really but mostly the corners of furniture for some reason!!) It gets really annoying especially when im trying to sleep.. I need to cover the corners with something like a sock! my boyfriend thinks it's funny but its really irritating, It almost feels like a slight pressure on the outer corner of my eyes.. If anyone knows what it is please let me know, Thanks.

SEESdad55

Feb 29, 2012

To: All - Ciarar

Haven't been here lately - always interesting to see a new visitor (like ciarar - welcome) discover that there are others with SEES. I covered my nightstand with my socks for about 20 years growing up...

Anyway - I'm seeing recent mention of glaucoma, head pressure relief, staying relaxed and happy ---- anyone else think this ads up to medical marijuana for SEES. It may be just what we need....I'm kind of joking, kind of not.

tomsav

Mar 01, 2012

To: Wrestler15

Thanks for the update Miguel.

I would very much like to know the results of your MRI (if you've not had one before they can be a bit intimidating but they are nothing to be afraid of).

When my SEES was at its worst, i had swollen optic nerves (bileteral papiledema i think they called it) so if your eye doc found yours to be abnormal too, that could be worth closer examination. I was also getting migraines too - or at least i was being treated for migraines. They were actually a different type of headache in the end. In short, your symptoms sound like mine did back in the day.

Do your migraines ever come with flashing lights or patterns disturbing your vision? Do you ever hear a rushing sound (like holding a shell to your ear)?

If you (via your parents, due to your age) or your docs want to contact me for more info then please do. This isn't just eye irritation, so don't let them fob you off. You're in a great position to make progress with a diagnosis.

Good luck!

Tom

Sees_ing_the_Day

Mar 07, 2012

To: tomsav

Hi, SEES community! Wow, this is so weird. I've always just thought this was some weird thing about me - you know, "everyone has something weird about them" kind of thinking. But this has started to get pretty bad - the windsheild wipers are starting to freak me out, and even reading all of these posts (yes, I've just sat here and read every single post since 2008 straight through to the end) - even just reading about the sharp objects causes my eyes to feel pain!! Just tonight I thought that maybe this is a symptom for something else, so I finally googled it. My husband was laughing at me when I googled "looking at sharp things hurts my eyes" - and now, I can't believe all of you also have this problem! Wow! I am honestly just stunned. I guess we're all not so unique afterall, lol!

I would be very careful about attributing any other health problems to this. It seems like the people here are a very representative portion of the population and if other medical problems are occurring within this community at the same rate as they do in the general population, then there's no correlation.

Here's something nobody else has mentioned - I also get those squiggly black lines in my vision that are supposedly harmless. Does anyone else get them? I also don't think that I've always had this - it just sort of crept up on me over the years. But I think it started about the same time that my vision got suddenly very poor. It's recently getting much worse. I'm a bird lover and have a hummingbird hanging from my car mirror, and I think, sadly, I need to take it down because ... well, that beak!!! It's quite terrible! I may crash if I don't take it down! My husband is shocked because he knows I love hummingbirds so much. So he knows this is more serious now.

So, I have the squiggly things that most eye doctors are familiar with, my vision got suddenly very bad about 7-8 years ago, this is worse at night (I think ... not sure, will have to think about that), it's worse if someone brings my attention to the pointy object - do those windsheild wipers bother you? Well NOW they do!!!! Thanks! LOL!

Also, I was scratched on my cornea by the family cat when I was a child. Just throwing that out there since two other people had trauma. This caused me to have vision problems in that one eye. I have astigmatism. Nearsighted until the past 7-8 years when I've also become far sighted.

I really wish a researcher would come and do a scientific study on this so they can say whether any of these other problems are statistically significant. It will take years. I just don't want this to be a symptom of a major health issue. I have been having this weird pressure feeling in one part of my head above my right ear for a few years. Thought it was related to meds I was on (kidneys). I'm no longer on them and it comes back every now and then. I think I may want an MRI. But my gut feeling is that this is a phobia, plain and simple. I have other fears - mostly heights.

Its really hard to find good doctors who don't automatically just say stress and push you out the door. But I am a year overdue for an eye exam, so I will bring all of this up and may even print out these postings!

I'm so happy to have stumbled on this and wish all of you the best.

Mary

Sees_ing_the_Day

Mar 08, 2012

To: Sees_ing_the_Day

I also want to add a note about synesthesia. I personally think that is a very astute connection to make. I know, I read about the expert saying its not related. But just like every other field of study, rarely is one expert the final authority. Synesthesia is such an understudied field, so I would not be too quick to dump that idea in the trash.

My daughter is synesthetic - numbers and letters have colors, numbers have personalities, grapes are in the musical key of F (she does not have SEES). There are a wide variety of manifestations of synesthesia. We are all a little synesthetic, though. It is part of our natural and primative mind. Think about when you "feel blue", or are "seeing red" ... "sharp cheddar" ... all examples of every day synesthesia.

Here's an interesting article about it (Smells Like Beethoven):

http://www.economist.com/node/21545975

I think SEES has strong colors of synesthesia - though being human and therefore somewhat naturally synesthetic (and also a poet), I see many things being colored by other things.

Like synesthesia, its all about intensity - isn't everybody a little afraid of being poked in the eye? Yes, many many people get skitish when you mess around with eyes in any way. We just feel that with varying degrees of intensity. I don't have it as bad as many of you.

I, personally, am going to continue to think about SEES and synesthesia. In a moment of brilliance, I may come up with a connection that makes sense. I may not. But, this is how fields of study evolve, by thinking outside the box (al beit, a nice round box with smooth edges). Seeing connections between two fields of study is how great discoveries are made - and also by questioning authority. I'm a big fan of that, especially given how many authorities on eyes and neurology have no idea what is going on with us.

Mary

PS I like "SEES" since it feels like my eyes are ceasing up when something pointy is pointed at them. That's whats causing my pain.

kellie7

Mar 08, 2012

To: Sees_ing_the_Day

Mary,

Welcome to the community. I love your name - "Sees_ing_the_Day". hehe.
It is a great feeling to realise that you are not alone, isn't it?

I'm glad you agree that we should not rule out synthesia. My gut instinct is telling me it is some kind of cross wiring in the brain. I would like to get in touch with some synthesia researchers here in Australia and see what they have to say.

At the moment I am seeing a psychologist and trying to work through my anxiety issues as the SEES does get worse for me when I am stressed. This is not the same for everyone but it does seem to be the case for me.

I hope you have a moment of brilliance and can give us all an answer. I will wait patiently. :-)

Regards

Kellie

kellie7

Mar 08, 2012

To: carecare35; all

carecare35 and all

Just wanted to let you know I have been gluten free for a couple of weeks now. My family even got me a gluten free cake for my birthday the other day. Yay! ;-).

I have pretty much known for a while that I had issues with gluten and since not eating it my tummy has certainly felt a lot better. My eyes haven't been too bad since, but it's impossible to attribute that to a gluten free diet at this early stage. I will keep you all posted though.

Has anyone else gone gluten free yet?

carecare35 - is your son's SEES still under control?

purensmpl

Mar 09, 2012

To: Everyone

Hi, my 14 yo daughter has SEES as you have all described.  She just had an MRI and and MRV w/ contrast, and, thankfully, no tumor, no venous sinus thrombosis.  She also had a very complete eye exam with a very competent neuro-ophthalmologist--all is good.  On the surface of things, there is no physical reason for her symptoms.

I am interested, Kellie, to see how the gluten-free diet works for you.  I certainly think there is a possibility that this is inflammation-related.  I eliminated wheat/sugar/peanuts from my diet for about 3 months (for a different health reason --I never felt so good--just couldn't live on that diet.  I've been reading about Curcumin and it's fantastic anti-inflammatory properties.  It seems to be a supplement everyone can benefit from, unless you are taking blood thinners.

In the meantime, my daughter is seeing a wonderful therapist/hypnotist.  I asked her at the last session what in the room was bothering her.  It was a microphone on the desk across the room that, to her, seemed like just an arms length away, and was giving her a headache.  At this session, the therapist targeted her suggestions--that Lindsay would NOT feel pain from looking at edges or pointy objects--that they would pose no threat.  It worked, but only lasted for that evening.  She looked at the microphone afterward and felt absolutely no discomfort.  The therapist feels she needs to train her brain to not associate sharp objects with pain.  It would be a process, much like someone who wants to stop smoking--they are hypnotized to not feel or react to the the pang for nicotine--and they've got to do therapy everyday for this training process.

I can't tell you how grateful I am to find this forum.  I've been lurking awhile until I had concrete info to share with you all about the MRI/MRV and the extensive eye exams.

Is it possible that inflammation (be it from some allergen) could be the cause of this "synesthesia" mentioned above, but that it is possible to train the brain to not do that "mis-association" by way of hypnosis???  Let's keep the conversation going!

carloswpeter

Mar 14, 2012

To: tomsav

Wow! I just Googled this on a whim. I'm 49 and have had SEES since I was a little kid. I just told my wife of 16 years about it just this past year. Other than that, I've never told anyone else about it. The worst for me are the display hooks in department stores. When I take my daughters to Target, I have to wait at the end of the aisle and stare at the floor while my daughters are in the doll aisle. I never thought I'd find anybody else out there who has to deal with this.

I also have chronic pain in my face from a botched sinus surgery about 20 years ago. I live with moderate to severe facial pain every day of my life. But I've been having these eye symptoms long before the surgery, so I don't think they're related.

I can't believe I've found other folks like you that are living with this. Wow! It's a relief, in a way.

MalteseMed

Mar 16, 2012

To: tomsav

I can't tell you what a relief it is to see that I'm not the only one suffering from this condition! I'm 19 and have been having the classic symptoms for as long as I can remember; any pointed object ranging from a pen to the corners of a book or furniture annoys me greatly. As the others have explained, it is not direct physical pain bur rather a kind of visual discomfort.

As some others have mentioned the symptoms aggravate whenever I'm ill, tired or stressed in any way. The worst I ever am is whenever I am having difficulty trying to understand something complicated while studying for an exam or otherwise. This and the fact that whenever I think about having the symptoms I immediately experience them, leads me to believe that the problem is neurological rather than in the eye.

I am a second year Maltese Medical student and I'd love to indulge further into this problem which by the looks of it, affects quite a lot of people.

Until a diagnosis and cure is found however, these are a few things I have found to relieve the symptoms to a certain extent:

1) Wearing sunglasses: sometimes light aggravates the symptoms and I've found this to be a prophylactic measure rather than removing the symptoms.

2) Sleeping: I experience almost no symptoms after I've had a nap or just woke up in the morning

3)Shielding my eyes from the object/s causing discomfort by placing my hand over my eyes.

carecare35

Mar 16, 2012

To: Kellie7

So happy to hear you are trying a gluten free diet to see if it helps with your SEES. Kudos to you! I do know that it may take a while for your body to heal from any gluten damage it has had. I also read that if it is neurological in nature that damage may take much longer to heal...and sometimes never fully. With my husband (not a SEES sufferer) he says it took a good 2 yrs for all the things he felt were gluten related to heal. However after the first 6 months he was almost symptom free.

With my son...he never ever complains about his SEES anymore. I will ask him tomorrow how he is doing in that regard and update you.

CC

Wrestler15

Mar 31, 2012

the results from my MRI showed that everything is "normal". so whatever cant think of anything else to do

carecare35

Apr 02, 2012

To: everyone

Just had a talk with my 12 yr old about how he has been doing.  He thinks that his allergies seem to intensify the symptoms of SEES.  He is allergic to Cats and our cat just had 5 kittens.  Plus it's a very early allergy season.  Usually this time of year though he needs his inhaler because of his allergies.  So far so good on that though.  Anyway, my thoughts on this are that allergies are also causing inflammation.  It makes sense to me that it might be worse when his allergies are worse.  I'm going to start him on daily allergy meds to see if he gets any relief.

Also, his gluten free diet has seem to really really help his symptoms as well.  I think for anyone trying to figure out a way to help themselves I think trying a gluten free diet for 3 to 6 months would be ideal.

Good luck!

kellie7

Apr 02, 2012

Thanks for the update again CC.

I have been trying hard to stick to a gluten free diet - I've had a couple of slip ups but threw the food out immediately when I realised. Except for being caught of guard a couple of times it is not that hard to follow a gluten free diet. We are lucky to have alot of gluten free products nowadays. So I have every intention of sticking to this for now (not just for the eyes but for my tummy as well).

It's interesting that allergies in general seem to set your son off. I wonder if they are having a neurological effect or if the allergies are creating stress in the body which is triggering it?

I am still holding on to hope that a doctor is going to come on here one day and give us all the answers we are looking for. Until then I will just have to keep battling through like my fellow SEES sufferers.

kellie7

Apr 02, 2012

To: wrestler15

Thank you for sharing the results of your MRI. I take it that your doctor is stumped as well? Has your doctor offered you any suggestions?

Wrestler15

Apr 03, 2012

oh my god! a simple search of "fear of corners" and this is what i get:
Fear of Corners of a Room
There is currently no medical term (--phobia) for "fear of corners" in a room. So, it is just that: "fear of corners in a room" or, colloquially, it could perhaps be called "cornerphobia".

However, this may be a manifestation of another phobia, such as nyctophobia (fear of dark places) or claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) - two very common and treatable phobias. You should speak to your GP if it is affecting your day-to-day life.

Fear of Corners of an Object
You may be referring to aichmophobia.

This is a more general fear of sharp objects, in which corners are included. The phobia is characterised by irrational wincing, discomfort and avoidance of any sharp object perceived to be near the eye. Stimuli can include needles, pencils, corners of paper, corners of shelves, umbrella points, etc.

It is fairly common in developed countries, and can be treated by a number of phobia-combating techniques, including hypnotherapy, associative conditioning and counselling. You should speak to your GP if it is affecting your day-to-day life.

There is, however, no specific medical term for a fear of corners exclusively, with an absence of a fear for other sharp objects.

Wrestler15

Apr 03, 2012

wow im just so amazed that this has already been discovered and we all didnt know. For the last 6 months ive been battling this every day and it really took a lot out of me. Now i believe with help from a psychotherapist that we can get rid of this suffering. I made a vow to myself that if this ever went away i would apprecitate life and try to accomplish everything i can in my life. I now feel I can follow up on that vow and Im just so happy. Even though this has been living hell, I think it has helped me appreciate life and when its gone, theres nothing from stopping me from accomplishing my goals. I honestly felt like I was struggling through my life for the last 6 months and was starting to feel like there was nothing to live for. But not anymore :). Thank you all for your comments and supporting eachother because reading this every few days helped me endure this aichmophobia (or SEES).
- Miguel,just a 15 year old kid from Illinois

EES

carecare35

Apr 07, 2012

To: Wrestler15

I hope it works for you. I truly don't believe this is a phobia. I believe it's caused by inflammation in the brain. Good luck and keep us updated. I'd love to say I was wrong in my thoughts on this.

CC

Wrestler15

Apr 07, 2012

yes im going to try just ignoring the sensation for a while and if that doesnt work ill seek a phychiatrist. I can remember now how it went away, i just ignored it for a couple days and it left. And when it came back it was because i remembered it and was locking it away in my brain but it came back. You cant let it control your life, just pretend it doesnt exist and dont flinch away. Ive been doing this and Ive started to get better. I wont let this hinder me and it makes sense because i got an MRI and they found NOTHING. $4,000 dollars to tell me i was normal and the eye doctors told me the same. Its starting to make sense to me its something to do with a locked away fear we have because even thinking of corners can trigger pain or even seeing a corner in a video game of a frikin cartoon.

Mwgs

Apr 13, 2012

To: Wrestler15

In my case, it has nothing to do with an irrational fear, or phobia - I have no 'fear' whatsoever of sharp objects or pointy things or corners or what have you. My problem is that I can feel these things as if they are literally starting to poke into my eyes. I feel that it is most likely to be a neurological disorder of some sort - perhaps something affecting the processing of visual stimuli in the brain.

achillea

Apr 13, 2012

To: Wrestler15

Wrestler, that is exceptionally interesting information about aichmophobia. I had never heard of it before. Here's the wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aichmophobia

The article notes that it can be treated with hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral, too.

However, it sounds to me as though there might be some overlap between this condition and synesthesia for a number of posters on this forum.

Sharpain

Apr 13, 2012

To: Everyone who sees (even for others)

Hi

I have had to for over 20 years. Since I was 6 or so and I'm 26.It went away for a few years at the end of highs cool and then came back with a vengeance after I finished my studies. I now work for a bank and reading paperwork is painful. Sometimes the incident brings on a full out migraine within a 20 minute period or so for me. Desk corners ( the cabinets over desks ) and especially windshield wipers and swords etc. I do see the dark spots.

My thoughts though, I think it's like a cross eye kind of thing. It's much easier to look at rounded corners.

Reading about 'why rounded corners are easier on the eye' with this sees issue in mind was (at least for me) a mind changer.

It takes more effort to process sharp corners and your eyes are led to follow the line as oppose to a circle which is not like that. Circular edges (even on books with rounded corners) don't bother you do they? Not me.

So what does this blabbering mean? I think it's a cognitive issue with how we see sharp objects or lines (like windshield wipers etc) with a headachy or dizzy sickness or vertigo like sensation.

Maybe one eye follows the line one way, and the other does the opposite.....or they have trouble mixing the two images because of the complexity. I don't get sees on hikes very often if ever......in nature we may not see as many sharp things like we do today bombarding our vision.

Sharpain

Apr 13, 2012

To: Everone

If someone looks up 'why rounded corners are easier o the eyse' and reads about it, along with 'BOLD activation varies parametrically with corner angle throughout human retinotopic cortex'. You will see SCIENTIFIC (especially the second one) evidence of how and why corners are harder to process and where in the brain this goes on etc.

There is enough knowledge out there to solve or at the very least understand this issue. someone well versed in those terms needs to read up on things like:

Recent psychophysical studies of this illusion have shown that corner salience varies parametrically with corner angle, with sharp angles leading to strong illusory percepts and shallow angles leading to weak percepts.

And this, which pretty much hits the nail on the head ( or the sharp side in this case):

sharp surface corners may create hotspots of high local contrast due to processing by center ^ surround and other early receptive fields. If this hypothesis is correct, early visual neurons should respond powerfully to sharp corners and curved portions of surface edges. Indeed, the primary role of early visual neurons may be to localize the discon- tinuities along the edges of surfaces. If so, all early visual areas should show greater BOLD responses to sharp corners than to shallow corners.

Someone who knows about this stuff should check into us about this. We could be interesting people to talk to for the people who wrote these studies.

I wish someone would look into those studies and many more th i have found if you are interested. But this is NO phobia. No more a phobia than a migraine from light. This happens in the brain, and could be a cross eyed or lazy eyed issue combined with seeing corners etc.

robertb1982

Apr 13, 2012

Wow I've had this problem ever since I was a kid. I feel out of a tree and had a skull fracture and had cracked the bone around my eye and ripped my muscles and almost had to have a metal plate put behind it anyway I always thought that was the cause for my not being able to look at Sharp objects. Sometimes it got to where I've put towels or shirts over the corners of things especially watching tv lol it messes with me bad to this day .I'm glad to here I'm not the only nutcase out there .I would like to find out if its some sort of syndrome .

Wrestler15

Apr 15, 2012

i have no fear of corners either consiously i get the feeling that they are going to poke my eye too. But im thinking it has to do with our brain responding to them with anxiety. Thats the feeling i get, i get uneasy and want to turn away. But ive been trying to ignore the feeling and imagine to be like how a normal person would see and it works. The sensation goes away and doesnt bother me. But if i let my guard down it will come back. Either you need to be very mentally strong or get help from a phychiatrist. I dont think it has to do with a brain issue because why would it randomly appear for some people and not at birth? Ive been to eye doctors who say theres nothing wrong with my eyes and neurologists that have never heard of this and sent me to get an MRI that showed nothing. Im starting to think that the problem might lie within us, mentally.

Wrestler15

Apr 15, 2012

look at this
http://www.allaboutcounseling.com/library/aichmophobia/

Wrestler15

Apr 15, 2012

and i also found this on an article about aichmophobia...
You are not the only one to suffer from aichmophobia. Most sufferers are surprised to learn that they are far from alone in this surprisingly common, although often unspoken, phobia.

carloswpeter

Apr 16, 2012

To: tomsav

I'm a web designer, if you're wanting any help with a website design. Just let me know.

tomsav

Apr 17, 2012

To: all

Hi Carlos, Thanks for the offer; this has had to go on the back-burner for me due to work but I'll get round to it soon.

Hi Miguel, I hope the phobia thing helps clear it up for you, however I have to agree with the others who say that, for me at least, this isn't a phobia in terms of being scared of corners. I didn't like needles as a kid (who does??) but I've since had a ton of injections and have no issues. But let us know how you get on.

Hi RobertB1982, It's interesting that you're another sufferer who has experienced head trauma. It seems disproportionate to me, but I'm no statistician.

Hi Sharpain, interesting stuff, thanks, I'll have a read.

Tom

tp306

Apr 17, 2012

To: SEESdad55

Hi, my wife and her three sister have problems looking at sharp objects, with no real consequence throughout the daily lives, except it does make them feel a little funny, as if they need to look away. Well I was putting the cutlery away after dinner and my wife was holding our six month old daughter and I noticed that my daughter would pull a funny face when the knife was pointing in her direction. I have since tried this with several similar objects with the same reaction. This is what lead me to this message board. If it helps, it does seem that this conditioned is hard wired as there have not been any traumatic incidents which could have set this off. Hope this helps. Tony

Sharpain

Apr 17, 2012

To: tp306

look at a pen tip (about 4 inhes from your nose) with both your eyes up close for 15 seconds and then look at something realy far in the distance behind the pen. Then switch back. It seems to me like I get a sensation that one eye is looking farther back than the other one. The one that cant focus on the pen as easily is the one that makes the SEES go mostly away when I apply pressure.

thats why I think it is somewhat brain/eye related.

Juanski

Apr 19, 2012

To: robertb1982

Hi everyone,
I have to say that I am relieved to find that I am not the only one who has this condition. I found this discussion group quite by random after trying to describe to a friend how my eyes feel when I look at helicopter rotors or umbrellas. I now know that there is an actual "phobia" for this.

- Juan

Taleelee

Apr 20, 2012

I'm 37 years old and have had this problem since 13. I'm amazed to find other people having this problem. My phobia is of sharp pointy objects: furniture corners, open lap tops, straws in drinks ect... I have been gluten free for about a month (unknowingly of its suggestive connection) and have had more frequent episodes since, which brought me to googling it and finding this forum. Which leads me to believe gluten is not an issue for me regarding this phobia.
I do however relate to having some forms of "synesthesia".

What helps me is simply turn away from the object. Cover it with pillows or blankets. I haven't had a nightstand in a long time. Push my straw away and ask others to as well.

I've never had eye trauma. I have pretty good vision. I will wear reading glasses once in awhile.

It's great to read all of your comments. I will keep reading and learn from all of you...

It's funny, I thought my phobia was because I got stabbed in the eye in my past life. :)

carloswpeter

Apr 20, 2012

To: All

I'm curious. When you say you have a phobia, are you really scared of pointy objects, do they cause fear? I wonder if there aren't two different things going on here. When I see pointy objects, it sometimes causes a physical discomfort around my eyes, but there is no fear involved. Maybe it's a combination of the two for some of us. I wonder if those who say they have a phobia can elaborate on the fear it causes.

jennaBoli

Apr 22, 2012

To: All

I have been searching the internet for a few weeks now, and I think this is as close as I have come to someone understanding what problem I have.
While I read through the comments, that most have problems with pointy objects, I have the same symptoms, but cannot look at things like chain link fences, cages, etc. When I do, the back of my eyes and even sometimes nose ache. What bothers me, is that it doesn't always immediately go away when I avoid the triggers, sometimes it is days on end with my eyes feeling painful.
I told my husband about it, and he thinks I am nuts. I can remember having these pains/feelings since I was young, I would love to know why.

Mwgs

Apr 28, 2012

To: Wrestler15

I've recently asked both a psychiatrist and several neurologists and neurosurgeons about my SEES problem, and all agree it is probably an ocular/neurological disorder of some kind. They dismissed it as being psychological in origin, as I've had this forever, or at least as far back as I can recall (my earliest memory of it is when I was five).

If it were merely a matter of being 'very mentally strong', then believe me, it would have long ago ceased to be a problem for me - I've been through a LOT of stuff medically in my life - but this is not the case here. My current neurologist thinks it may be related somehow to my Tourette Syndrome, which is hereditary, in my case, and most definitely a neurological disorder, not psychological. I'm still not certain I'll ever know for sure what is causing it.

I'm glad to hear you are getting some answers as to what the cause may be in your case.

Wrestler15

Apr 29, 2012

With people asking if i get fear from pointy objects, i dont. I get the same feeling that my eyes feel discomfortable and sometimes Ill be like Oh crap theres a corner my eyes are gunna start feeling weird soon. But i wont be like afraid like theyre gunna kill me or anything. Im thinking that it may be like a phobia that might either be caused by trauma as a kid that you cant remember or just evolutionary like we are hardwired to get want to stay away from them by our brain. I read somewhere that hypnotherapy can change the way your brain reacts to these things and reverese whatever the cause is that makes your brain send your eyes the message to look away. It may sound unlikely but it makes sense to me and at this point Ill try anything. I think my mom is gunna take me to a phyciatrist and it might get better it might not. All I DO KNOW is that it has been improving with me resisting the urge to look away and reassuring my self consiously that theres no reason to flinch because they wont hurt you or nothing bad will happen. And one more thing, since this has been going on constantly for the last like 7 months, I think it developed into a thing where even things that arent necessarily pointy will bother me. Like yesterday I was sitting down at a table and there was a wall edge like 2 feet from my right eye and it started bothering me and i was like wtf and yeah sometimes just things in close proximity can bother me too.

Sharpain

May 01, 2012

I was messing around with a Pointy pair of scissors (looking at em), an open door beside the TV, and a few dressers this week trying to find ways to minimize the pain without doing anything but either thinking something or moving my eyes etc. I also have been running the windshield wipers and trying stuff too. I noticed two interesting things:

1) if i forget about the wipers, the issue goes away. But if I even think about thinking about it, the wipers come back into FOCUS in my vision and I get SEES. The same kind of thing happens with corners in the sense that if I can get my eyes to kind of blur them out or focus on the object I'm looking at or whatever it goes away.

2) if I'm looking at a sharp object directly I can make it go away by training my left eye to feel as though it is closer to my nose, and higher up in my eye socket. At first, it almost feels disorienting but I can even walk through a store aisle in that manner with less pain.

And if I have trouble getting the sharp object out of focus and it isn't what I'm trying to look at, making my left eye go closer to my nose and higher in its sockets usually works. Especially when I try and forget about the corner and concentrate on what I'm doing or looking at as well.

Thoughts?

Sharpain

May 01, 2012

One thing I noticed is that my left eye is not my dominant eye and it is the one that helps me minimize Sees.

purensmpl

May 24, 2012

To: All

My 14 yo daughter has dealt with SEES for several years.  She did hit her head on a slide and black out when she was younger--and I must have warned her a thousand times to not walk around with the pencil pointed up, and to be careful with scissors.  In retrospect, I'm sure I played a part in convincing her that sharp edges are dangerous.  Which helps lead me to the conclusion there is a huge psychological response going on.   Covering her eyes with glasses (to protect them) seemed to help ease the SEES.

This year, she had an MRI and and MRV with contrast of her brain, and a thorough examination of her eyes by a neuro-opthalmologist.  These tests show no explanation of her symptoms.

Stress is a major influence.  Now she sees a therapist for stress and was actually hypnotized so that she would not have such an adverse reaction to sharp edges.  Since then, her SEES has almost diminished, except for extreme periods of stress or insufficient sleep.  I rarely see her wince at sharp edges or have to turn away, and she really doesn't complain about it.  I won't even bring it up.  Pardon the pun, but out of sight, out of mind.   I think that her not thinking about her SEES problem--not anticipating pain with sharp edges-- has helped as well.

HOWEVER, she seems to have developed a new "stress indicator"...she's developed facial tics that wax and wane, and has more incidences of visual auras which sometimes preceed a migraine.  She is definitely the "high anxiety" type, and I think it plays havoc on her body.  The best we can do for her is teach her relaxation methods, which the therapist is helping her to do.

I wish all of you luck and realize not everyone's root cause is the same.

tomsav

May 25, 2012

To: purensmpl

Hey there, hope you're well.
Sees, facial ticks, migraine auras; i've had them all. I know you're trying to advocate a psychological reason for all this but the more the physical symptoms coincide the more i'm convinced it's physical.
But that said, i'm obviously glad your daughter's symptoms are getting better.
Tom

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