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Tahitiii
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27 May 2009, 8:04 pm

Reading about Alexythmia (http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt99741.html)
makes me think of this visual thing. Is there a connection? Does anyone know what I’m talking about, and is there a word for it?

When I switch from one situation or medium to another, I need time to adjust. If I’ve been binging on the computer and haven’t seen a book or newspaper in days, my eyes need time to adjust. What I see at first is probably similar to what some dyslexics see.

When I’m driving to familiar places, I don’t bother with glasses. (I barely passed the driving test when I was 25 and probably would not pass today.)
I only use them when I’m going somewhere new and need to read tiny street signs. I don’t mind putting them on but, once I do, I can’t take them off for the rest of the day. I can’t describe it except to say that it’s uncomfortable.

I always had trouble with the eye doctor. When he’s flipping through lenses, asking whether this one is better or worse, I need more time than he is willing to give. For years I was intimidated by it and I probably never got the right prescription.

I tried bifocals, maybe a decade ago. Everyone said that it just takes time to get used to them, so I really gave it an honest chance, and wore them every day for several months. I never did get used to them, and eventually threw them away. Walking down stairs is the worst. How can you do that when you can’t see your own feet? I still don’t understand why anyone would want them.



BelindatheNobody
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27 May 2009, 8:07 pm

I dunno if they're related, but I can relate pretty well. Especially for the eye doctor part.
And bifocals... *Shudders* Those. Those are evil.
I never could stand wearing glasses at all, but bifocals are just horrible. Yuck.


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Tahitiii
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27 May 2009, 8:14 pm

Also, I hate it when someone says, “look at this comic strip” and then stands there waiting for me to react. I do that old-person thing, squint and hold the paper at different distances, as though being farsighted is an issue. Well, it is, but that’s not why I do it. I just need an excuse to buy time while my eyes adjust.



starygrrl
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28 May 2009, 10:09 am

I would seriously consider getting diagnosed my a neurologist. A regular eye doctor is not going to help you here, its your perception, not your eyes.
What it sounds like is either Nonverbal learning disorder or some other issue of perception. It seems NLD effects women more than men, and is very similiar to AS. It might be the manifestation of it in women with the new research coming out that shows the experiences of NLD women and AS women being very similar when you start looking at the studies and comparing the two. Basically many of the social problems of both NLD and AS women do not start fully manifesting until after puberty. Many NLD studies have noted with women, they can be diagnosed with AS around the adolescant period.

The one thing about NLD is there is deficits with visual and spatial processing. I am more like you in that my deficits are more along the lines of visual processing in the here and now. I actually have a pretty good spatial memory. NLD effects everybody a little differently. But considering this is a struggle and effecting your everyday life, see a neurologist or neuropsychiatrist. You definately have some visual processing issue that glasses alone will not fix.