Almost everyone has a fear of something. Some of us have a fear of heights, some of us fear long words and some of us have fears that seem odd or unusual. Ommatophobia is the fear of eyes and it is a phobia I have personally been dealing with since I was around 9 years old. Ommatophobia is also referred to as ommetaphobia and it is the abnormal, persistent fear of eyes.
A fear of eyes is often developed due to a traumatic event involving the eyes. This could be anything from seeing something disturbing such as an eye popping out of a socket, liquid squirting from an eye, getting hit in the eye to going blind. My phobia started when a cat scratched my face and got a claw stuck on the inside corner of my eye.
Ommatophobia or Ommetaphobia encompasses a broad range of fears based on the eye. A person with this fear might fear looking directly into eyes, seeing someone touch their eye or be afraid of going blind. Anxiety, panic, nausea, nervousness and shaking are just a few of the symptoms a person with ommatophobia might feel depending on the level of their fear.
Coping with this phobia is hard because everyone has eyes. It is hard for me to look someone in the eye for a long period of time because it makes me feel queasy. I cannot stand to see someone put on contact lenses and I dread going to the eye doctor because he will have to look into my eyes and put drops in them. I also dread sitting in the eye doctors office because often there are large, disturbing pictures of giant eye balls plastered around the office.
There are medications for ommetaphobia but they often have severe side effects and none of them are a cure for ommetaphobia. All they do is suppress the neurological impulses that cause the fear. Because this fear does not impede me from living my life on a normal basis, I do not take medication for my fear of eyes phobia. There are options other than medication available for coping with ommatophobia which include hypnotherapy, counseling and psychotherapy. Support groups can also help those dealing with this phobia.
Ommetaphobia is a real fear and should be treated as such. Many of my friends know of my fear but some do not respect how real it is. Often they would do things such as take out contact lenses, put in eye drops, flip their eyelids or get me to watch movies with them that had disturbing eye images. This may seem that my friends were intentionally being cruel but the truth is that they are/were ignorant of the panic and anxiety it causes. Now my close friends know to warn me when an eye image comes on television or when they must put in eye drops in for their contact lenses.
If you have a fear of eyes or any other type of fear that impedes on your daily life talk to your doctor to find out what the right treatment for you may be.
Already dealing with ommetaphobia or ommatophobia? Consider joining a support group with others who know and understand the phobia you are dealing with. Daily Strength is a support group that allows people with varying phobias to support each other through a forum area and offers insights, advice and information about the phobias.
For further information on ommetaphobia visit:
Ommetaphobia
Health Mad: Fear of Eyes
