Right now I am so worried, I am actually freaking out. PLease read this. For about the past year I've had a strange sensation in my eyes that makes me want to unfocus them, it's very uncomfortable (then I see double) Well in last 2 days I've had soemthing different happen, when I get up and look at soemthing close in front of me there is a strange sansation, I'm sorry but I can't even explain it. Well being worried that soemthing is visibly wrong, I got out my digital camera and recorded walking up to a wall and then I felt the feeling, so I stopped recording and looked at the recording. It looked slightly like my right eye moved slightly towards the outside, I please hope that my other eye was moving but it was hard to tell as it was slightly blurry. I hope sooooo much that something isn't wrong. I'm only 14 and have to start school again 2 weeks, I don't want to be called a freak, and what will my friends that I haven't seen over the summer think? (if there is something wrong, but I pray there isn't or a miracle will happen and it will go away) Right now I have so much anxiety I am shaking almost. Someone please help me in some way.

Hi,
Sounds like you may have "lazy Eye" or in medical terms amblyopia (I think I'm spelling this wrong). Nothing to worry about. With lazy eye, sometimes the eye that has weak eye muscles will move on it's own, especially when tired, or when looking at something intensely.
Have you ever had your eyes examined? May be a good idea before you have to go back to school. If it's lazy eye, it can be corrected (or helped) when you are young, but not sure how young you have to be for treatment to help. THe older you get, the less likely treatment will help. But let the eye dr take a look, so you know what is going on for certain.

8: Sounds to me like you might be developing intermittent exotropia. Since we can't post websites, you'll have to do some research on strabismus and exotropia. I would have to disagree with Hellas about lazy eye or amblyopia, unless you have noticed that your right eye does not see as well as your left eye. Amblyopia can result from strabismus, but since your eyes have been aligned for 14 years there's no reason why amblyopia should have developed.

If exotropia is what you have (and I'm no expert), it can probably be treated with glasses.

Obviously, you need to have an eye examination. It would be better to see a pediatric ophthalmologist than an optometrist. Intermittent strabismus doesn't always show up during the examination and a P.O. is more experienced in treating strab.

Strabismus is usually a brain thing, not an eye problem. The brain controls the eye muscles and your brain is getting tired of the effort to keep your eyes working together and focused. The glasses will take the strain away. Strabismus is quite common and intermittent strab occurs more often when you're tired, ill, anxious, etc.

So, see an eye doctor, and good luck.

Torre

8 :

I agree with Torre, in that your symptoms do show evidence of intermittent extropia. (That's when one eye will drift out of alingnment with the other eye. So when this happens, each eye is seeing indepentely,and your brain picks up the two different lines of sight from each eye; and you see double.) Some times an optometrist can perscribe prism lenses to help with the alignment of your eyes. This lens treatment may be supplemented with visual tharpy,from a Develpomental Optometrist,trained in treatment of this type of intermittent muscle imbalance.

Pediatric ophthalomogist are trained in doing eye muscle surgery.(strabismus surgery). That is to say, when your eye turns out and stays out. Intermittent exotropia, happens when when your tired ,ill,or anxious. (That is to say,only on certain occurrences). So visual tharpy, may be considered the first choice of treatment.

Check the web for a Developmental Optometrist near you.

Again,I agree with Torre about seeing an eye professional.

Best of luck,

Eyestwo22

I don't have any visual difficulties, (like trouble seeing far away or blurriness), so could this still be possible? Also my dad has a lazy eye, and has no depth perception but I still have perfect depth perception..?

An intermittent problem generally wont cause blurred vision.When your eyes are alighned properly your depth perception wont appear to be "off" .When your eye drifts out you wont have proper depth perception.Strabismus often runs in families.You need to be examined properly by an optometrist.

kws6000 :

Your right that the eyes have to be in perfect alighment for "normal" depth perception. Your knowledge and Torre's knowedge of the eye care field is important for this board. Hopefylly, this young person will take our advice,and see an optometrist.

Eyestwo22

I did see an optometist this spring, didn't find anything wrong. In fact he couldn't even give me an explanation why I might have trouble focusing (and the strange feeling that goes along with it) He just tried to bring up headaches, and saying thats the problem, (I have allergy headaches)

I'm almost afriad to ask my parents about it again, last time they got mad at me because I didn't know how to really explain what I felt. And my dad was saying "It's from watching tv and eating too much sugar!" Yeah I maybe watch a half hour to an hour of tv a day, if that was the reason everyone would have this problem.

Also just to get this clear, I don't have a lazy eye as some of you are suggesting, it's not always out of line, it's so unoften that not even my mom has noticed yet.

There's confusion about the term "lazy eye". Lazy eye is amblyopia which is a reduction of vision in one eye because the brain shuts off the data coming from it. Strabismus (esotropia or exotropia) is misalignment of the eyes. Strabismus can cause amblyopia. If amblyopia is not corrected in early childhood, there is permanent vision loss in that eye.

Because your eyes have been aligned all your life, there is little reason why you would have amblyopia.

When exotropia develops after childhood, it's usually because the condition was always there but the brain has managed to control it. But sometimes, the brain finds it's too much effort and there can be an intermittent drift. This effort to focus is what you describe as that odd feeling.

Because the drift is intermittent and your eyesight is good, it's not surprising the optometrist missed it. That's why I suggested seeing a P.O.

If you can, photograph your eye when you feel it is drifting.
As kws said, strabismus is often hereditary. Gather some info about intermittent strab and explain to your parents what is happening.

Torre

Oh, yeah, I wanted to add...we laymen are just guessing what is wrong by the information you gave us. Perhaps your eye is not really drifting at all. That's why a photo is important if you can manage it.

Thank you guys so much, you've been so much help. A soon as I get my camera recharged I will make sure to try to photograph it. I am really hoping it doesn't drift, but if it does is there anyway to correct something like this at my age? If there isn't, i'll just have to learn to live with it..

If you have strabismus, it will never be "cured", but it can be treated. Glasses might be all you need to remove the strain of focusing. Your age is not a factor, as it would be with amblyopia. I forget without looking back at the posts who suggested vision therapy, but VT does have some good results with exotropia. This is not my opinion but that of a pediatric ophthalmologist who used to answer questions on another forum.
So, there are ways to correct the intermittent drift (if that is indeed what you have).

T.

Thank you guys so much, you've been so much help. A soon as I get my camera recharged I will make sure to try to photograph it. I am really hoping it doesn't drift, but if it does is there anyway to correct something like this at my age? If there isn't, i'll just have to learn to live with it..
8(),
You demonstrate remarkable maturity and sense of values. It never ceases to amaze me how much younger people can be so much more mature than older ones.

It's not unusual for changes to the eyes to happen at your age.
But make sure you are getting enough sleep.
As others said, fatigue can aggravate things.

I'm guessing you're just starting high school.
This may not help, but freshman tend to be invisible to others anyway.
But you do want to be able to see all the new rooms and halls and people.
If health insurance is not an issue, maybe you could see an optometrist first, with the idea of him/her recommending an ophthalmologist. And you might want to see the same optometrist, since he will now realize this is an on-going thing.
Or you may want to try someone else.

When parents seem angry in these situations, it is typically because they care about you so much that they feel frustrated about not being able to help, and it appears to them that you are preventing them from helping you, and they're just really worried that something will get worse if they don't figure out a solution soon enough.
That's a run-on sentence on purpose, so you'll get an idea of the Worried Parent Mind. ;)
So you can see how not telling them something now would make the frustration and worry worse later when they do find out.

By the way, I think I know the feeling you're talking about, and I can't describe it either, and I'm probably older than your parents. ;)

Everybody, I'm just going to say my worst fears are now reality, I don't feal like saying anything else now though.

Ok, whenever you're ready.

T.

Ok, I will try to explain everything as good as I can.


Well about a week and a half ago I had to go to a "open house" for school to get my locker combo, picture taken etc. My eyes were PERFECT then. I was so happy and relieved, I started to look forward to school starting thinking I could have a normal year.

Then came the first day of school. It was a freshman only day where there wasn't any upper-classman. My eyes were pretty good that day, sometimes they would feal strange but mostly they were pretty fine.

Then the next day, every other grade started. This is when my eyes started bothering me. When I walk down the halls my eyes bother me constantly. It's just a strained-uncomfortable fealing, but heres the strange part, it's only when i'm looking at someone or someones looking at me. For instance, if there was noone in the school my eyes would probably be fine. The worst part about all of this, is that there IS SOMETHING VISIBALLY WRONG. It is worrying me soo much. Everyone who looks at me looks away quickly or acts uneasy, and does anyother thing you could think off. Some teachers stare at the floor when i'm coming their way then out of the corner of my eye I can see them look back up when I pass. This is making me go crazy! I don't know if i'm just thinking all of this in my head, or if there is something wrong with my eyes. I asked two of my friends if they've seen anything wrong, but they probably haven't because they don't bother me when someone i'm comfortable with is around. I don't have social anxiety or anything like that that would make me nervous to make eye contact or anything, so I just don't get whats going on. This wednesday I have an appointment to see the counseler, I just have to ask him about all this.
Wish me luck, on wednesday I will know if something is wrong.

It sounds like they bother you when you have to focus while moving.
I'm not sure what that signifies. It's just something to think about.
Do you suppose people seem to be avoiding eye contact with you because you seem to be avoiding eye contact with them? (Because it's a strain to do so.)

Very good that you're going to talk to the counselor.
I hope it goes very well.

Yeah i'm worried about seeing the counselor seeing as i'm going to find out if there's something socially unacceptably wrong with me or not, :/


As for if people are afraid of looking at me cause they think i'm afraid of looking at them, I don't think that's the problem because I try to look around as normal as I can, so I don't know.

I actually do feal very calm to how I think I would feal in this situation, seeing as there could be something wrong with me that just suddenly happened to me, but I'm not. I guess I just know that God doesn't care what I look like he's still going to love me.

Thanks for the support :D