Visual Processing Disorder.

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Does anyone else here have a visual processing disorder? Is it more common in autism to have this?

I have problems with descending medium-to-long flights of stairs; the steps move and jump about and the floor moves and rocks about. I find I have to stop every 15-20 steps and look at the ceiling to "reset" my vision. Yesterday I tried to descend a very long flight of stairs at Highgate Underground Station (the escalator was broken so I had no choice) and I nearly fell down the stairs several times. At two points I had to stand still and close my eyes. For the whole time, I was gripping the hand rail extra hard. It was very distressing.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can get around this? I am claustrophobic and I have a severe phobia of lifts (elevators) so I cannot use those.

I also cannot drive (and have a disabled travel pass for London public transport) and cannot play team sports, as well as having dyspraxia symptoms relevant to my visual processing disorder.

I'm not getting any support for this disorder at all. Do you think I should?

I think that finding out what support options are out there. It's obviously causing you distress, so be proactive. Even just the feeling of doing something might give you a bit of an emotional or mental boost.

Would glasses with different coloured lenses help, similar to the ones used to help people with dyslexia?

Hopefully, someone can give you some better advice than I. Good luck!

I have dyspraxia and I know what you mean about the stairs.
I don't know any answers- I am waiting for an appointment with an opthalmologist to have my binocular tracking tested. I am considering coloured lenses if that would help but doing the binocular tracking thing first.

It sounds like you have problems with your vestibular sense (which tells us whether we're right side up or down and/or kinesthetic sense (which tells us out body position). I too have issues with these, often miss the bottom step and land somewhere in the middle of the room. I've also fallen out of a patio door and landed flat on my face on the wooden deck. The fact that I've never done myself a serious injury is nothing short of a miracle, although I'm nursing what I'm pretty certain is a broken pinky toe, which I whacked against a plug block, which caused me to fall into the wardrobe. I don't drive either, partly because of these problems, which I assume is the cause of my major issues with mirrors.

Strangely, my daughter, the one with the diagnosis, has no problems with these senses. However, she has been prescribed tinted glasses, for her processing problems. I'm going to get myself tested and I've no doubt I can be helped with a pair too. Being tested for specs won't do any harm.

Tinted lenses!

I often "lose my place" on the stairs, too and end up tripping. I've always wondered what it could be. I also run into doorways and such. It's like my body's GPS malfunctions. Should I be getting help for this? I have sustained some serious bruises from this and am really scared I'll fall down a long flight of stairs one day.

Okay, I looked up dyspraxia and I have almost all of the symptoms. Do tinted lenses really help? How?

My "coping mechanism" has been for years to move about almost like a blind person, never quite looking at things. I do have rare moments where I suddenly have fully functioning 3D vision but they are very rare indeed.

I have an eye appointment on Wednesday so I'm going to bring this up.

My appointment is actually with a retina specialist, but I figure he might have heard of it and can direct me to a good ophthalmologist.

The Institute of Optometry at Elephant and Castle can test you for a whole range of visual processing disorder problems --- including problems with proprioception which a lot of us have - judging distances and that kind of thing...

and they can also prescribe for you if you need it irlen tinted overlays for reading and tinted lenses... the basic ones are not that expensive. However, you cant walk around with them on .... but its a start.

I have to hang onto the railings too!

http://www.ioo.org.uk/appoint0.htm