Unfocused vision, peripheral vision

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Does anybody not focus their eyes when they're visually overwhelmed?

Or use peripheral vision instead of looking straight at something?

Just wondered whether there are more people who stop focussing to get a better understanding of what they see like I do. Or who rather watch something out of the corners of their eyes to reduce the visual input?

Edit: I'm not talking about being preoccupied or being lost in thought. I am talking about using blurred or peripheral vision to better look at something.

Actively using such a way of looking at things to be able to watch your surroundings (and not be overwhelmed by it, for example).

Last edited by Sora on 22 Dec 2008, 2:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I often lose focus when I am in deeper though, I will use my peripheral vision when I don't want people knowing I am observing something. When I am in a deep enough state of thought I don't see anything, and don't even realize it, as all my visual thinking is being taken up by the current though. At that point the only thing someone can do to bring me back into this world from the world of my thoughts is to either hit me, or call my name... If I am that deep in thought, I don't see or hear anything apart from what I'm thinking.

When I am thinking deeply I must not see anything. I've had instances when someone comes to stand in front of me (a teacher, etc) and I do not see them. When I "come out of it" as they say, I have to tell them that I didn't see them. "But I am right in front of you!" they always say.

I suppose maybe I "turn off" my view of the outside world in order to run through my thoughts (visual thinker).

As for using peripheral vision, I don't really have it. I have slight tunnel vision, so everything I have any hope of seeing has to be about at about a 45 degree angle or less. Otherwise I don't see it.

All the time for me... when I'm drawing or some other type of perseveration. Sometimes I'll ignore people calling my name until they keep repeating it over and over again; by which time I recognize it as an irritating sound lol. Only time I can naturally get out of that state myself is like when the shuttle stops for us to get off, or when class is dismissed. Most of the time though, I have to be touched, or have someone put something in front my whole line of eyesight.

Ahh, stop.

Wait a moment.

I wasn't talking about being spacy. Or about being lost in one's minds and shutting off vision. Unfocussed eyes just mean vision is blurred and not sharp - not 'gone' because one is mentally preoccupied.

I asked for those who do not focus their eyes in order to be able to better look at something. Or use peripheral vision for the same purpose;

watching something, but not having to do so with their full vision.

err nvmd then...ignore what i posted above >.>

I'm not sure if this is what you mean... but sometimes I notice that my eyes are "stuck" and I'm not looking where I think I'm looking. That is, my attention is on something on the periphery of my vision, or maybe just beyond my visual field, and I think I'm looking at it, and then I realize that my central vision is staring at some irrelevant object. Then sometimes I make my eyes look where my brain is looking. And sometimes I don't.

It takes effort to focus your eyes on something--not a whole bunch, but if you're running on empty the effort will be noticeable. If I'm too tired to focus my eyes, I know I have to sleep and it doesn't matter if it's still only 3 p.m.! I'm quite useless when I'm that tired.

I will let everything come out of focus when I don't have any reason to focus on anything.

I cant interpret what I see perepherally. Like, if I'm in a car and something is along side me, I "see" it, but I dont understand what it is or means. I have a similar problem with my hearing.
I blur my vision when I am stressed.

My professor used to study my breasts with his peripheral vision in meetings. He was in imaging and image sensor systems and vision systems. He obviously thought I was an idiot and wouldn't figure it out.

*I* think you did a GOOD job of earlier anticipating the incorrect response. (seriously)

Well, when I am deep in thought....

Seriously though, I DO sometimes try to study things in my peripheral view because they may otherwise believe I notice them, anticipate, etc... On reading, etc... I have been HANDICAPED, like most, in usually using my fovea. When I scan, my subconcious DOES seem to work outside that limitation(With scanning, my subconcious seems to process a LOT, a see far less, and remember still less.), and I am TRYING to improve my reading beyond it.

Can YOU read with your peripheral vision?

Only focus my eyes some times when reading paper books. Don't focus them when reading on the computer screen or doing other things. My peripheral vision is useless because can't interpret what I see.

I am unfocused much of the time when I do not need to focus.. I guess it started when my social anxiety was really bad, and I would focus on some invisible spot in front of me instead of on all the people I had to be around at school. That became simply not focusing, and I only recently realized just how much I do it now. When I am out at a store, when I'm at work doing routine things, etc. I try to stop and make myself focus more now, but it can be a little overwhelming..

My eyes frequently unfocus during the day when I am thinking.

That doesn't bother me, however when I am tired I get terrible double-vision, and my eyes continually focus and unfocus (so the double images continuously zip together and then apart again), which is bothersome and problematic if I actually need my vision, like for driving or reading.

Edit after re-reading your original post: No, I don't used unfocused eyes to process my environment better.

I defocus the foreground by gazing into the background and vice versa. Remove my glasses lots too.

I use peripheral vision lots. Am too anxious to look in another's direction and need a wide berth.