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Eye Problems

These are descriptions of how individuals experienced various symptoms during withdrawal. While everyone's withdrawal is unique and symptoms will be different for everyone, it may be useful to know what others went through.

All withdrawal symptoms can be caused by things in addition to withdrawal. If a symptom is persistent or you are worried by it, it is always a good idea to get it checked out by your doctor to ensure nothing else is going on.

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Definition: Difficulties with blurry or occluded vision, dry or red eyes, or otherwise.

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What I've Felt:

"You feel like your eyes are overly sensitive to light, especially bright sunlight and fluorescent wavelengths. You may be unable to focus on distant objects, especially when shifting your gaze from points closer in. Objects not close at hand may appear blurry and indistinct, or they may appear to shift shapes as part of a hallucination syndrome."

"I've felt a persistent dry, burning sensation across the surface of my eyeballs. I have to squint under any source of indoor light stronger than 60 watts, and am easily overwhelmed by sunny days or overpowering fluorescent light, as you'd find in a hospital, cafeteria, doctor's office, or grocery store (all places best avoided during withdrawal, anyway). You know that feeling you get when you emerge from a dark movie theatre into full daylight, that sort of lancing, pricking feeling that spikes through your eyeballs and into your temples? That's how I felt much of the time. I don't, however, wear sunglasses. For some reason, the warmth of sunlight has a calming effect, and I want to soak as much of it up as possible, even if I have to squint."

"My eyes also tire easily, especially when reading or looking at computer screens. But no part of me doesn't wear out more quickly these days." - Matt

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What I've Felt:

“It used to feel like I was looking out of a gold fish bowl and I had lots of things floating past my field of vision. My eyes were often sore and the area around them was often sore when it was touched” - Anthea

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What I've Felt:

"My eyes have always been sensitive to light and have had focusing problems. Benzo Withdrawal made it 10 times worse. I would definitely wear UV treated sun glasses for the brightness and also to protect your eyes against UV as that's one of the causes of cataracts." - Carter

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My Coping Strategies:

bullet Acceptance
bulletWear sunglasses if light gives you undue pain
bulletRest your eyes during periods of prolonged use, e.g., while staring at a computer screen. Close them lightly for a few seconds every half hour, and use eye drops if necessary. Avoid rubbing them, as this can introduce further irritation.

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Disclaimer:  The information contained in this website was not compiled by a doctor or anyone with medical training. The advice contained herein should not be substituted for the advice of a physician who is well-informed in the subject matter discussed. Before making any decisions about your health or treatment you should always confer with your physician and it is always assumed that you will do so.

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Last updated 21 July 2020