# Eyes glazing over



## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

Is this something that can occur with dp/dr that anybody knows of?

My eyes are blue to start with, but for years they've seemed a lot paler than they ought to be.

I first noticed it when I was in my twenties, and I presumed that they _had_ glazed over (I'd seen pictures of brainwashed cult members whose eyes had), and in all the years since I've simply written it off as a byproduct of the dp/dr.

But I've read nothing (on this site, or any other source) about such an associated phenomenon in relation to dp/dr (and in everybody's pictures here, no one's eyes appear glazed over).

So now I don't know what to make of it.

Can anyone offer any enlightenment on this matter?

Would appreciate it,

e


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## bat (Aug 18, 2004)

hi e

blue eyes, if they're light to start with, often get lighter with age. like eyebrows and noses get bigger. so in your late twenties and thirties you would start to notice. 'glazed' sounds a bit like mucous. people seem to assosiate this with drugs but, in my experience, my eyes are clear when on drugs with large pupils.

maybe if you're sedated or tired your eyes might look glazed


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## Guest (May 1, 2005)

I've been told more than once that sometimes I look normal and other times my eyes glaze over and it looks like I'm in a trance.

I think eyes glazing over and eyes changing in color are two different things though.


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## Isobel (Aug 11, 2004)

Ive noticed this too. But im quite often ill, so i just put it down to having an infection in my system or something.

It looks to me when i look in the mirror, like ive been smoking heroin or something :?


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## ShyTiger (Apr 1, 2005)

My mum and friends mentioned this to me a couple of weeks ago. My eyes have gone from dark brown to greenish gold.Mum sais she doesn't even know what color to call them but thinks they are pretty! Unsure why this has happened but has corralated with my latest dp/dr episode. Maybe a irodologist may be able to give you some ideas??


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Are your eyes dry? Dryness can cause the eyes to look very "glazed over". Anxiety and adrenaline can cause the eyes to be dry. My doctor told me its a very common symptom of anxiety. My eyes have been dry for 3 years.


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

dakotajo said:


> Are your eyes dry? Dryness can cause the eyes to look very "glazed over". Anxiety and adrenaline can cause the eyes to be dry. My doctor told me its a very common symptom of anxiety. My eyes have been dry for 3 years.


That sounds very interesting, but my eyes never seem dry.

I experience a dull pain in them most of the time, but they're always moist.

As for eyes fading (even changing color as Tiger described), I don't know what the physiology behind this could be (maybe Homeskooled could answer that one).

Thanks to everybody who replied (and for actually staying on topic in this one, lol).

e


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

I know one of the effects of the FOF response is the dilation of the pupils. I believe anxiety disorders are nothing more than an exaggeration of this response. Maybe this has something to do with it.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Can your eyes really change color? Well, not really, but they certainly can appear to change. All of what we see around us is REFLECTED light. When you look at an object or even another person, you are actually receiving reflected light into your eyes. If that object was illuminated with red light, you would see that object as red, even though it may in fact be white. The melanocytes of the iris do not change (except in infants and the elderly) and therefore are not responsible for periodic eye color changes. The light around you does change, however, especially reflected light....from the color of the room, the sky, and your clothes.

Why are my pupils so big? There is a normal range of pupil size from around 2-9 millimeters. Although a nine millimeter pupil is quite large in normal room light, it is a NORMAL condition. Anisocoria, or unequal pupil size between the eyes is also quite normal, to a certain degree. One study found that 80% of the population showed anisocoria of 0.2 mm or greater at some point in the day. This normal variation is usually not noticeable from casual observation. There are certain pathologies that affect pupil size, however, and if you notice a sudden, significant difference in the two eyes you should consult your eye doctor.

The pupil, as you probably know, is simply a "hole" in the middle of the iris that allows light to enter the eye. In the dark, the small muscle that dilates the eye contracts and the muscle that constricts the pupil relaxes, resulting in a larger pupil. This allows us to see better in the dark. The opposite occurs in bright light so as to restrict the amount of light entering the eye. Pupillary diameter decreases with fatigue, and sleep is accompanied by even smaller pupils. Arousal induced by fear, interest, pain, or excitement causes pupillary dilation. The reason for this is unclear.


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

As we age, oftentimes our eye and hair color will change. This is usually due to differences in hormones. I like to think that people with DP can be classified into two categories - the "Spacey DPers" and the "Anxious, moody, existential DPers". The spacey ones claim brain fog, loss of emotion, loss of memory, fragmentation of thought. The second category almost think too clearly - definitely they thinK way too much, about things so deep that there are no answers. I think that the first set has alot in common with people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, both of which I think are "catch-all" diagnosises for medical problems which are subclinical, such as mild drops in thyroid hormone which leave the sufferers in the normal range. I'm betting that people with the spacey DP notice alot more changes in eye color, hair color, and hair loss, as compared to the moody, existential ones. This may be going off on a tangent, but I beleive in wholistic medicine too, and its occurred to me that some people with this brain fog should look into not only hormones but something like chelation therapy, under a reputable doctor. The hyper-stimulated DPers with brains that could melt steel, on the other hand, I think are suffering from something which resembles the brainwaves and brainscans of TLE patients. Just my two cents.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Oh, and about pupillary dilation. It can be indicative of something neurological, but there are also stats that show that 5 percent of the population walk around with dilated pupils for no apparent reason. Effexor is also known to do this, and honestly, I think it just goes to show how strong that stuff is. One of the reasons I dont like it. I know that adrenaline causes pupillary dialation as well, and I would expect that in a true life or death scenario, your brain would want as much visual input as possible, causing your pupils to let in as much light as your eyes can bear. Helps us to outrun sabertooth tigers.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Just goes back to the old anxiety theory and symptoms of a fully engaged fof response.

Joe


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

dakotajo said:


> Are your eyes dry? Dryness can cause the eyes to look very "glazed over". Anxiety and adrenaline can cause the eyes to be dry. My doctor told me its a very common symptom of anxiety. My eyes have been dry for 3 years.


I've been sort of rethinking this one a bit.

I'm in a perpetual daze where I'm constantly staring wide eyed all the time, and not blinking too frequently.

To date, the only thing I've really noticed from this is eye strain.

But it seems like it _should_ lead to dryness, because blinking is how the eyes are continually remoistened.

So it sounds logical.

I'll be more attentive to this one, because it's not something I've ever really paid a whole lot of attention to, on reflection.



dakotajo said:


> I know one of the effects of the FOF response is the dilation of the pupils. I believe anxiety disorders are nothing more than an exaggeration of this response. Maybe this has something to do with it.


Definitely no pupil dilation.

But thanks for all your insights, Joe.

e


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

And thanks for all of your insights too, Homeskooled.

Appreciate it. 

e


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## Monkeydust (Jan 12, 2005)

> I've been sort of rethinking this one a bit.
> 
> I'm in a perpetual daze where I'm constantly staring wide eyed all the time, and not blinking too frequently.
> 
> ...


Bear in mind that dry eyes normally arises not from a lack of blinking, but rather from a problem in the substance or delivery of tear fluid in the process.

That's all I can offer; get it checked out to be sure - or just buy some eye drops and see what happens.


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## Isobel (Aug 11, 2004)

ive noticed i dont blink too often since having DP

probably due to the constant terror of it . :shock:


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