Medical Does your ptsd give you any issues with eye exams?

[Sweetleaf]

I haven't had an eye exam in like, 5 years or something like that. That's how old my current pair of glasses is, and I definitely need a different prescription now. I don't think these lenses are cutting it anymore. Plus they are f*cking beat up and survived that shit just as much as I did. It's a miracle they're even still in one piece. When he'd start to hit me I'd try to take them off and chuck them somewhere out of the way to grab later when it was all over.

My doctor set me up with a referral to an eye place that'll take my insurance.

The thing is, I haven't had an eye exam since before I had PTSD. So I have no idea how I'm going to react to the stuff that involves, the setting, etc.

I was fine with all medical shit before PTSD. Cool as a cucumber.
Now though? I need xanax to do a f*cking EKG. An EKG! Like wtf!
I got all anxious and scared getting chest xrays done.
Every time I get blood drawn they're like "are you okay?" and I get shakey and stuff.
Getting my knee examined - "relax. relax. relax. relax your leg, I'm not gonna drop it" yeah no f*ckin shit lmao that's not why I'm tense.

None of that would have been an issue before my trauma.

It doesn't help that my trauma featured a hospital on multiple occasions. Automatically I'm triggered by a lot of medical settings - but having people close to me, having people touch me, even going out in public and being around strangers, all that shit kinda drives up my anxiety.

I have no idea how I'm gonna react to an eye exam - I have no idea where it's gonna rate on the "medical shit" scale, from "having my blood pressure taken" to "anything to do with my genitals being examined"

Do any of you have experiences you could share? Maybe things I should be aware of or say to them? Do any of you have difficulty with eye exams? What sort of shit is a problem for you in them? I know everyone is individual but maybe it will give me a better idea of what I could be in for? lol

 

[TTC18]

I can't have anything coming near my eyes, or coming toward my face. I had to have a full eye exam once, and it took *hours* for me to force myself to sit still while they blew a puff of air into my eye. The nurse was so frustrated - she kept saying that even kids can sit still for that, and why am I making such a big deal out of it. Well, I've had so many things thrown at me in my life, I have an overactive flinch reflex, I think. If I could sit there with my eyes SHUT, it'd be fine - but making me hold my eyes wide open while something came toward my face? No dice.

 

[ILoveLife]

Yes, touching medical examinations in general.
I don't have medical trauma though. It's the touching professionally that bothers me I think.

 

[Mach123]

I shouldn't tell you what they did to me but it saved the sight in one of my eyes. If I had known what they were going to do I couldn't have done it. I was experiencing "retinal detachment." It's a miracle and thank God, you know? But it was right out of a horror movie how they did it. I have the dentist today. I have had him a few years and I have had episodes in the chair. He is the most gentle guy but he doesn't understand you know? He is so careful with me but he's not really ... It's like they think "oh here's a normal healthy man you know he can do this." I told him I had PTSD. Again he is the most gentle guy. I have had a ton of dental work I know what I'm saying he is one of the best dentists I've ever seen in terms of not hurting me. It's just a body thing. It's really hard. He writes me a prescription for like five 10 mg oxys, (at least he always did i hope he does today, root canal) It's like my reward because they don't use the nitrous on me. Nitrous is the way to go but nobody uses it up here. You have to go to the fancy dentist and he won't take my insurance. I actually like this dentist better? I miss the nitrous though it made it so much easier.

 

[scout86]

Yes. I have a huge problem when they have to test the pressure my eyes.

The last time I went, I discussed with my T. As it turned out, he had an eye doctor he liked and recommended. And he asked if it was ok if HE talked to the doctor. (I said it was.) And it "just worked out" that his appointment happened to right after mine. :rolleyes: Anyway, it helped enormously that the doctor knew why this was a problem and had an idea what was, and wasn't helpful. (He left town not long after, unfortunately.) I'm sure I'll never get another set up like that, but it helped.

 

[Nessa7]

I can get through an eye exam with xanax. Without a xanax, I can't manage to complete most of the tests that they want to do. I try to pay attention to how they react when I mention that I have PTSD, because it can give me a good idea of what will happen if I do start panicking. If they seem confused about why I'm telling them about it, they are going to be just as confused when something happens.

Another thing is to be prepared to tell them no until they listen to you. My worst eye exam started with me being unable to get through the puff test. I was fine letting the woman try holding my head in place, and she did end up getting something that was good enough. She handed me off to another woman for the machine that shines a light in your eyes to take a picture of it. I got more stressed when they tried holding me in place for this, and they couldn't get a good picture. I thought I was done and got to do the thing to figure out your new prescription, but the optometrist wanted to know what the pressure of my eye was. She wanted to do this with a little needle thing. My brain had had it at this point, and I ended up shoving her away when she didn't listen when I tried to refuse. I wish I had did more to keep things from escalating.

 

[scout86]

About that puff test... Around here, they don't use it. They use a device that actually touches your eye. They numb your eye. You don't feel it. I KNOW that, but it's still tricky getting it done. Heres what works for me.

First, the tester has to give me a spot to look at, and keep my attention focused there, so I don't watch the thing coming at me. I haven't been able to do that myself, I need them to get and keep my attention. Then, they have to tell me what they're doing, as they're doing it, but they have to be careful NOT to tell me they're about to touch my eye. Something like "that's good, keep it up, just a bit longer, we're almost done," etc. I can force myself to good still, if I believe it's not for long. I can sit still, if I believe they are already touching my eye. They HAVE to play along with this, or I can barely stay in the chair. BTW, for that test, it's important that you breathe, or the results aren't accurate, they're too high.

 

[Ronin]

I am fine, as long as that guy does not tell me what to do, or what HE is gonna do. I can trick my brain into Normal Day, Normal Routines if there is no commentary and all I am tasked is read some sexy as hell letters, starting with the line I need to bluff about the most :inlove: First failures and nothing wrong from that point I can do.

(Completely opposite with the dentists. Tell me fricking everything you are going to do and well ahead.)
Different traumas, similar piece, different reactions to each. But part is the settings, the rooms, and what tasks they want me doing as a part of the regular procedure.

 

[Deleted member 8714]

I like my eye doctor and she's one of the best in the area. If it wasn't for her I'd be blind in my right eye. She saved my eyesight. I had to go through hell and back to see her for the first time. I went to one ER doctor who misdiagnosed me and other doctors who declared me a hypochondriac because of my symptoms which turns out were classic for what I had. They just all missed it and called me crazy and an attention seeker. If you don't know what's wrong with the patient, blame them.

A second ER doctor, under the eye doctor's direction, had to use a primitive method for testing the pressure in my eyes to confirm my diagnosis of Narrow Angle Glaucoma. When I finally saw the eye doctor in her office, I got sent to one of the top specialists in the country for Narrow Angle Glaucoma. The reason: it occurred at an earlier age than they've ever seen and for no apparent reason. Later I learned that it was caused by untreated perimyocarditis which in turn increased the pressure in my eye.

When I got treated they had to use a laser. I won't go into that. Fortunately it worked and has continued to work. Though I will say that the way in which they had to hold my head in the chair was super triggering. It's not the normal everyday test or treatment done at an eye doctor's office. Thank goodness because I'd never go back if it was.

My new T says from the way I describe my experience about attempting to get a diagnosis and finally getting one that it caused PTSD in addition to PTSD from childhood abuse. So that's four medical conditions which caused PTSD.

I've learned to go with the examinations which I must have every 6 months. I don't find them invasive just a necessary part of keeping my vision. And the people who work with the doctor are good at what they do.

 

[Nessa7]

Thank you for making this thread. It gave me the push to put the time in to really look for an eye doctor that I actually like instead of settling for one that I don't completely distrust.