When I was doing vision therapy exercises I was probably doing them for 15 minutes per day. Vestibular currently I do about the same.

I feel like I'm in this cycle where I wake up and things are semi okay but once I start getting on screens then I get a lot of strain with my eye muscles and tightness on my forehead and it's a dizzy like feeling. I try to back off for a bit and then come back to screens and eventually that feeling fades but is replaced by what feels like burning in my eyes, eye strain, fatigue, more sensitivity to light. Just makes me wonder if my eyes have some sort of a slight misalignment and so initially when I look at things I get dizzy but then my brain and eyes work super hard to make it work, which they do, but then I'm left with strain and burning and fatigue.

I just commented on the other thread about Mind Eye. I'd love to go there but want to explore local options first simply due to cost. I know Mind Eye would explore things like syntonics, prism, and they have some other things they do that are pretty unique. I feel like I know syntonics are probably not right for me but do want to explore prism to see if a) they would help or b) at least if I know that they make a difference then even if I choose to not wear them then I'd at least know that a good portion of my issues is due to my eyes and that I'm on the right track if I try vision therapy.

As far as pushing through, I'm just doing the best I can right now as I'm trying to keep my job and continue to support my family while also resting as often as possible and restricting certain things that are triggers. For example, I have sensitivity to light and the first 2 hours of sunrise and last 2 hours of sunset are where it's the worst so if I need to drive somewhere I'm either able to do it first thing where there's enough light that headlights don't bother me but the sun isn't up or I drive during the middle of the day when the sun is highest. I also look at the weekly forecast and try to load things up on days that are rainy or overcast. Obviously I mentioned the sports stuff as well where instead of just staring at the tv straight for 3.5 hours of football I'll just glance for seconds at a time during a play and then look away and that has allowed me to mostly keep my sanity while not overstraining my systems. Audio description has been a godsend too on shows so I may do a quick glance at the screen when the show changes setting so I can picture everything and then I just look away and listen to the description and dialogue.

It sucks making these adjustments of course but just trying to find the best balance I can of reducing my exposure to things that are bothering me while continuing to search for things that I can enjoy or do. Prior to all of this I could run, watch tv, go wherever without worry of how bright it is, and could drink any alcoholic beverage I wanted. Can't really do any of those things now and I suppose most on here are in the same boat with what they're dealing with. Just hope we can find some relief at some point and while I'm not sure if things will ever get back to the way they used to be I have hope I can at least get a couple things back at some point if I keep fighting the fight.

Since you still have not explained how you recognize fatigue but rather how you appear to try to trick you mind to not experience fatigue, I'll explain some of my tricks.

First, I cannot read a paragraph with more than 5 or 6 lines before a paragraph break. I can't find the start of the next line and there is just too much text to try to grasp. Long line lengths are also a struggle. Besides convergence insufficiency, I also have anisiekonia. The right eye sees an image that is wider that it is tall so my eyes have even more struggle working together. I've lived with convergence insufficiency since I was 10 so I just deal with it. The anisiekonia is the result of cataract surgery.

On top of that, I have PVD in both eyes. Posterior Vitreous Detachment is when the vitreous humor, the gelatin like substance in the eye, develops folds in it. It is like looking through a spiderweb. Think of looking through a bowl of jello that has been shaken and is full of cracks.

I have learned to change activities, especially what I am looking at if: I find I need to reread a line of text. I struggle to scan and find things. I have even more struggle than usual to find the start of the next line.

When this happens, I don't push through. I switch to a different task on a different screen. I would change from a computer screen with text and such to a TV screen with no or limited text and watch a show, usually informative like Discovery Channel. I might be able to go back to the computer screen in 10 to 20 minutes. That was my life for about 2 years as I figured this out.

Now, If I must continue to read the screen when I know I have fatigued, I will change the image size, larger text/font, make the window narrower so the line lengths are shorter.

Learning how to moderate the various stimulation and to accept that I could not push through made my life much better.

I still have things I just cannot endure but most things I can handle by moderating my exposure.

I could not watch TV unless I had headphones on for the sound track. Otherwise, the processing load of the sound reflecting in the room was too much, especially with sports. I also would DVR record sports so I could fast forward through the over-stimulating parts.

I also learned that some media are just not possible due to too much stimulation.

Things got much better after learning how to not strain and fatigue my brain.

I did a lot of task switching. I still do but can stay with a task for much longer before fatiguing.

Hi Mark. I fatigue almost instantly some days when looking at a screen. I've definitely reduced my exposure over the weekends and trying to be efficient with work and take breaks. I know when I've fatigued when I'm feeling the pressure towards my forehead. Some mornings that happens almost immediately while others it may take a little while. Overall I seem to be better at nights than mornings.

That's awesome you were able to find the balance that works for you and I hope to find mine as well so I can manage my symptoms better while also finding some joy in things.

I have a pretty loaded week this week. Have a follow up with vestibular therapy doctor, another with a neurologist, and another with a cardiologist who specializes in autonomic issues. Don't have a ton of hope with any of them but trying to see if I can at least get something out of each of the visits like what kind of progression should I expect from the vestibular therapy and does she feel like this system is contributing to all of my symptoms or what should I expect once we get this system resolved? Is there anywhere local the neurologist would recommend that would help work with concussion like symptoms without being super expensive, what's his thoughts on if Ketamine could help relieve some of my symptoms, and could he maybe prescribe Gamma Core? For the last one I'm just wondering if the compression socks and supplements are helping things at all as we don't think I have POTS but I'm still doing some of their protocol for that.

Will also likely be scheduling a comprehensive/developmental vision exam with a local group as I do want to see if prism helps at all. Should be interesting but usually I just end up feeling let down. Hopefully something positive comes from this round of visits.

Have you ever had a spinal tap to check your CSF pressure?

I don't know if what you are describing could be fatigue. Sounds more like a response to a trigger. The brain can be trained to respond negatively to a trigger.

Has anybody ever suggested EMDR? Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy may have a use to resolve the triggering.

Have not done a spinal tap. One of my neurologists was potentially thinking that as a next step but is concerned about potentially causing low pressure headaches.

Nobody has suggested EMDR and I'm not overly familiar with it. Would that help some of the physical symptoms or more just to help better cope with everything?

My vestibular therapist doctor yesterday is convinced that it's vestibular migraine that I'm dealing with. I've had neurologists think migraine as well but I really just don't think that as it's not episodic at all, the headaches I've had I had for 3 months before any light sensitivity issues appeared, the light sensitivity doesn't go hand in hand with the headaches so they don't seem connected, and overall it just doesn't feel like that's the case. Still, I've tried drugs, injections, and supplements for it but obviously nothing has helped that at all.

She does see my eyes do some slight jumps with certain movements so I believe her when she says there are some vestibular issues but just don't get the whole migraine thing. I'll see one of my neurologists in about 4 hours and will discuss with them but I guess they'll want to probably try Botox or an infusion or maybe I can talk him into Gamma Core.

Anyway, have you heard of migraine being something like this where people can't watch tv due to them or have the different symptoms I'm dealing with? I get that there's light sensitivity that goes along with that but feel like it's usually present during a migraine attack but then is gone in between.

Those who have had a spinal tap who had high CSF pressure had instant relief as the pressure was released. You just need to stay prone for a period after the tap to avoid the headaches.

Anesthesiologists are often the best at spinal taps because they do far more spinal anesthesia than neuros do spinal taps.

EMDR can retrain the brain if it is being triggered into the negative responses.

Somataform disorder could be involved. The symptoms are real but they can be triggered by a trigger that is psychological rather than physiological.

As I said before, The brain can memorize responses and manifest those responses without a physical trigger.

I get sick to my stomach, similar to concussion nausea, when I see somebody suffer a head impact. I have no control over the sensation except to recognize it as passing and not caused by a physical event.

Thanks Mark. I may end up exploring the somatic stuff. Also wanted to see if you could help me locate the thread that had the guy you referenced who messed things up by playing too many video games. Just wanted to see if there were any helpful things on there that helped them.