Medical Has this ever happened to anyone?

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The discussion centers around a personal experience of extreme fear during a dental visit at age eight, leading to a sensation described as "double vision" and feelings of faintness. The individual recalls a distant, echoing voice from the dentist and a fear of dying. Responses from others suggest that this reaction could be attributed to a physiological response to fear, such as a drop in blood pressure, which can cause visual disturbances and auditory changes. Some participants share contrasting experiences, with one noting a tendency to fall asleep in the dentist's chair, while another mentions a possible adverse reaction to a numbing agent. Overall, the conversation explores the varied emotional and physical responses to dental anxiety and the potential underlying mechanisms.
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When I was 8 years old, I went to the dentist. I remember being extremely scared. I got through it with loud screams. When she was finished and I was still on the chair, she asked me if I was ok. Right then, I experienced what I call "double vision". Like in movies, when someone gets hurt or gets hit in the head and wake up later, they see "double" and 5 seconds after "both" images come together and they can see fine again. That's what happened to me, it's like I was about to faint. And I couldn't hear well, her voice was very distant. After she said "are you ok?" I didn't answer because of the double vision, and when she said my name over and over it sounded very distant and it was sort of echoing, I would say it sounded "eerie". I thought I was dying. Did this happen because I was so scared of dentists or not? I've always wanted to know and I'm not sure this is in the right place

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8086/animation1qv1.gif
 
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In extreme fear, your blood vessels can open wide, causing a rapid drop in blood pressure, especially in the head. Your eye muscles couldn't keep your eyes both pointd in the same direction (causing double vision), or focused. Everything else is a symptom of the same loss in pressure. If you'd been standing, you likely would have fainted.
 
In addition to Dave's explanation, which is very plausible, an alternative explanation I might speculate would be if you were feeling pain and hyperresponsive to it because of the fear, you might have had a release of endogenous opioids (natural painkillers, among other things), and the sensation was somewhat like that of being "high" or "drunk."

But, the bottom line is, yes, it's very likely it was the fear reaction that led to that unusual sensation for you.
 
spiral_flare said:
When I was 8 years old, I went to the dentist. I remember being extremely scared. I got through it with loud screams. When she was finished and I was still on the chair, she asked me if I was ok. Right then, I experienced what I call "double vision". Like in movies, when someone gets hurt or gets hit in the head and wake up later, they see "double" and 5 seconds after "both" images come together and they can see fine again. That's what happened to me, it's like I was about to faint. And I couldn't hear well, her voice was very distant. After she said "are you ok?" I didn't answer because of the double vision, and when she said my name over and over it sounded very distant and it was sort of echoing, I would say it sounded "eerie". I thought I was dying. Did this happen because I was so scared of dentists or not? I've always wanted to know and I'm not sure this is in the right place

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8086/animation1qv1.gif

I have totally the reverse reaction when in the dentists chair, i tend to fall asleep, if were not for the rough drill vibrating my tail bone i am sure i would.
 
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I think I speak for us all here, Wolram, when I say "what an ass".
 
I kinda go with wolram on this one actually.
 
That was meant to be a joke.

The guy who complained about his two hot roommates wanting a threesome gets the same response.
 
LOL! Hahahaha My friend just told me the same thing! :P:P funny..
 
Yes

Yes, I was at the dentists today and that happened to me and no it wasn't fear, it was an adverse reaction to the numbing agent they gave you.

http://members.tripod.com/~PorphBook/40.html

Here is more information about it. It sucked and was totally terrifyling for me.
 
  • #10
DaveC426913 said:
That was meant to be a joke.
Was it really? Because I find my body to be extremely relaxed. You know... except for the mouth.
 

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