Does anyone else recoil when they look at sharp objects?

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Basically, when I see very thin, sharp things, I feel like they're right up against by eyes, even when they're quite far away. For example, if I'm in a car that drives past a barbed-wire fence, and I look at the barbs, I flinch.

I don't generally recoil or flinch at things most people do, just sharp, thin things, so its made me wonder if its an autistic sensory thing. I've always had this and want to understand it. Does anyone else get anything like this?

I get this “flight” response, whenever there are small sharp objects near my eyes. They don’t have to be “traditionally” sharp objects (like knives or barbed wire). But, say, a corner of a table or a screw. Anything close to my eyes. It makes me quite uncomfortable. And, I have to quickly escape the situation. Or it will drive me batty.

I think it's quite normal to feel that when they're close, but I get it when they're far away (more than a few feet away), which I think is less normal?

Yes, I get this. A sharp knife lying on a worksurface can set me off. So can broken glass in the street. Worst of all, however, are razor blades. I can hardly bear to think about them without going foetal.

Any idea why that is CharityFunDay? Do you think its something to do with autism?

Thanks!

Sounds like an irrational reaction that could be from a co-morbid condition like anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder. For instance, I've read about people who see a sharp knife and have an unwelcome thought about hurting themselves or someone else with it even though they don't want to do that. That's what's called an 'unwanted intrusive thought' or UIT. That's likely an OCD thing. I didn't know this but most people have inappropriate thoughts but NT's just dismiss them and get on with their day like 'Oh, that's odd. While driving I just had the compulsion to swerve into that truck coming the other way. Oh well' and that's it. But for people with anxiety or OCD it's not the thought that's the problem but the strong reaction to it. These UITs can be quite distressing but there are several effective methods to deal with them if you see a counsellor. I don't know if that's what you guys are talking about but if you see something sharp, even at some distance away, and it makes you think negatively or feel uncomfortable then it could be something similar. Nothing to be too concerned about, even if it's bad enough that you need to see a counsellor.
P.S obviously I'm no expert, just taking some psych units for my BA.

Its not OCD. I have no compulsion, in relation to this or otherwise, and certainly don't want to do anything irrational. I just 'feel'like they are close that they are for a moment when I look at them. I don't ever do anything, or feel any urge to.

My only way I can think to explain it is that I don't register how far away it is. If the sharp object is on the other side of the room, I react as if its closer. There's an important distinction between impulse and instinct. Its an instinctive flinch, but I feel no impulse to do anything (and always think about it rationally).

Hmm, do you think it could be more anxiety related? Do you have any diagnosed co-morbids? I just think this is interesting. I've never heard it before.

I don't think so. I don't feel anxious when it happens, probably because I'm so used to it. Its more interesting than anything else.

This is why I'm wondering if its an autistic sensory thing. From reading biographies of other people with AS, it seems many people have trouble processing distances and things like that (e.g. telling how close a car is when they cross the road). So I wondered if my brain just doesn't automatically process that any given sharp object is far away, so I instinctively react as if it was right by my eyes, even though I can manually process that it isn't near by looking around and connecting things.

I think this would explain it but am asking if others have this too or if there's a better explanation, and to see if other people get things like thi I guess. Its not a problem, more a matter of interest as I like to know how my mind works.

Only when they are pointing my direction do I get freaked out.

It sounds like it could be a type of synesthesia...the brain mixing up something you see with a physical feeling.

I had that before I started driving. It got a bit better but even now when I'm crossing the road on foot or pulling out of an intersection in a car I'll wait when I could have crossed/exited. It's okay when walking but when you're driving it really annoys any car/s behind you and they start beeping their horn.

I definitely get this, though I notice some days are worse than others. It's not as bad as when I was a child. I remember having to avoid an entire room in the house, because it was such a small room, and the furniture was so tightly packed that I felt as though simply walking in would take out both my eyes. Which was annoying, because that was the room we kept our computer

I have issues with sharp objects, at work if I look at a bare pegboard with just the pegs on the board my eyes hurt really bad like they are being pierced by them. Same thing with knives and such when the point is facing me.

Last edited by rapidroy on 24 Dec 2013, 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

No. I do have an issue with irregular, bumpy patterns though. Actually, I'm annoyed by anything that's too close to a pattern to be random, but not enough of a pattern to be predictable. This is why, unlike many autistics, I do NOT like prime numbers.

First: I very much appreciate that you are using words borrowed from Pokemon RPG games (flinch, recoil).

Second: Yes, I do find myself recoiling at the sight of sharp objects. I'm also afraid to hold sharp objects, for fear of hurting myself or someone nearby accidentally. I think this is somewhat related to OCD and general anxiety, as it seems to be a common fear among people with anxiety disorders. Whenever I put dishes away from the dishwasher (one of my daily chores at home), I hate handling sharp knives.