I have a phobia about anyone getting near my eyes to put in eye drops or touching them or puffing air for a pressure exam. That includes putting eye drops in myself.About a week ago I developed some eye pain and discomfort that I think is related to dryness. I know I need to go to the eye doctor to get checked, but I've been putting it off. A few days ago I started putting in artificial tears to lubricate my eyes. That's really hard for me to do but I hope that with practice I will get better at it.
The process currently involves lying down with my eye closed, squeezing the drop near the opening of my eye and then blinking until the drop goes into the eye. Even at that it's really hard to get myself to squeeze the bottle because of my fear. It takes a few minutes. Yes, I'm a weenie.
When I was young I had the same fear of needles that most kids have when they get shots. But when it became necessary for me beginning as a young teen to go through years of allergy shots, the shots quickly became routine and no longer produced anxiety.
I'm hoping that I can overcome my fear of eye drops the way I overcame my fear of needles - with patience and repetition. My dream is that someday I can 1) put in my own eye drops with my eye open and sitting or standing up and 2) go to the eye doctor's office without extreme anxiety and without a doctor asking me if I had a trauma as a child. Wish me luck.
What fears do you need to face?
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1 comment:
Where do I start? I'll put down fascism, poverty, and rejection.
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