Sensory overload or anxiety?

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I'm not diagnosed with any form of autism, but I think I may be experiencing a common symptom seen in those with autism. Anyway, I've always had really bad attention issues as a kid. I seemed to have a really hard time filtering out information and focusing in places with a lot going on. Many times I would just completely shut down when taking exams even if I knew the material extremely well.
I always wore glasses, but noticed that if I didn't wear them, I could focus so much better, especially in classrooms or busy places. So I simply thought I just had social anxiety and not being able to see somehow calmed me down. I would have continued to go on in life with poor vision if there weren't so many draw backs that went along with it. Such drawbacks were, I had difficulty navigating, recognizing anyone at a distance, and reading off of classroom boards. I eventually continued to wear glasses despite always feeling distracted and confused when a lot was going on. So, fast forward until a few days ago. I was prescribed Ritalin after telling my doctor that I had difficulty focusing. After taking Ritalin, I noticed that my concentration was far worse. My mind felt like it was going nuts and full of noise. This feeling persisted even when I wasn't in public places with people around, so the drug couldn't having been exacerbating my self diagnosed social anxiety. But anyway, strangely, it felt like my eyes had something to do with it. I tried taking Ritalin once again, the next day. Except this time, I kept my glasses off. I felt like a new man. I could concentrate on anything without the feeling like my head was going to explode. Does this sound like a sensory processing disorder? And if so, do you think that stimulants worsen it?

SSRIs (which I personally consider neurotoxins) take a little time to saturate, so your brain probably just took a couple days to acclimate to the chemical changes. Good to hear you're doing better, but you couldn't get me to take that stuff with a gun held to my head. Way too many potential and dangerous psychological side effects.

It's interesting to come across your post, because I've just recently read a passage in a very helpful book, that addresses exactly this issue you are having with your glasses. And I too have such problems with glasses that I'm only okay when wearing contact lenses.

The book I'm reading is "Too Loud Too Bright Too Fast Too Tight," by Sharon Heller, Ph. D.

While it only occasionally mentions autism and Asperger's its main focus is simply on anyone who experiences sensory difficulties. There is a real-life account of a woman who went through agonies of issues in life, for which medication really didn't help much, and she spent most of her life battling this hell -- until she discovered contact lenses. She suddenly realized a lot of her weird challenges had arisen from sensory issues with her eyeglasses, not just the feeling of them on her face, but also the way in which they caused a kind of dissonance between the peripheral vision and the relatively narrow corrected area. She was sensory defensive all her life and it wasn't just to do with her glasses, but they turned out to be a huge part of her troubles and she never figured it until years later.

I too experience this with glasses and cannot wear them out and about, only sitting still at home.

I'm not saying all your troubles will be solved with contacts, as that is just a ridiculous over-simplificationbut this woman's story is an interesting one and it resonated with me because I've had a similar experience to hers.

Try to check into that book -- the woman's experience starts at page 139.

All of my various sensory issues are not "solved" but that particular one is MUCH better with my contacts in. I now can only wear my glasses only if I'm sitting still, on my couch, watching TV. But not when I'm moving about.

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