Depth Perception Problems and Anxiety

Causes

Depth perception is the visual ability to see the world in three dimensions (length, width, and depth/height). Having accurate depth perception allows us to move in and around our world without running into things (depth sensation—the ability to move accurately and consistently based on the distances of objects within our environment).

The body’s nervous system, which includes the brain, is responsible for receiving sensory information from the body’s sense organs and sending it to the brain for interpretation.[1]

A main component of the nervous system is specialized cells called neurons (nerve cells), which communicate with each other using an electrochemical process (the combination of electricity and chemistry).[2][3]

Neurons transmit information to the brain by receiving and passing nerve impulse information (electrical impulses) from neuron to neuron along a chain of neurons (nervous system network) until it reaches the brain, where this impulse information is interpreted.

For example, when visual information is received in the eye, nerve impulse information is sent through the optic nerve (a part of the nervous system network) to the brain for interpretation—nerve impulses are passed from neuron to neuron through the optic nerve until it reaches the occipital lobe. This is where vision is interpreted and is called the primary visual cortex.

The vestibular system is a sensory system in the inner ear that plays a crucial role in maintaining balance, spatial orientation, and stable vision. Vision and vestibular function are interconnected systems that work together to maintain balance, spatial orientation, and stable vision.

These systems work efficiently when the sense organs and nervous system function normally. However, problems can occur when the body is under stress, including the acute and chronic stress caused by anxiety.[4] For example:

1. Anxiety-Activated Stress Response

Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response, which secretes stress hormones into the bloodstream, where they travel to specific locations to immediately prepare the body for emergency action – to fight or flee. This instinctual survival reaction is often referred to as the Fight Or Flight Response.[5][6]

Visit the “Stress Response” article for the many ways the stress response can affect the body and how we feel.

Some of the stress response changes that can cause this symptom include:

• Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing nervous system activity to be more sensitive and reactive to danger.
• Heightens most of the body’s senses to be more aware of danger.
• Dilates pupils and narrows peripheral vision (tunnel vision) to focus solely on the threat without peripheral distractions.
• Heightens central vision and reduces peripheral vision so that our attention is focused on the threat at hand.
• Increases activity in the amygdala (considered the brain’s fear center) so that our attention is focused on the threat and decreases activity in the pre-frontal cortex (considered the executive function area of the brain) so that our attention isn’t distracted.
• Rushes blood to the brain to increase sensory awareness and away from systems less vital for survival.
• Tightens muscles to make the body more resilient to injury.

The degree of stress response is proportional to the degree of anxiety. The more anxious you are, the more dramatic the stress response and its sensations.

Since stress responses push the body beyond its internal balance (equilibrium), stress responses stress the body. As such, anxiety stresses the body.

Therefore, anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress. They are called anxiety symptoms because anxious behavior is the main source of the stress that stresses the body, causing symptoms.

Any combination of the stress response changes can affect visual and vestibular function, leading to acute depth perception problems. For instance, any of the following can affect vision and vestibular function, leading to depth perception problems:

• Heightened nervous system activity.
• Heightened sensory processing.
• Heightened vision due to dilated pupils.
• Reduced peripheral vision.
• Reduced executive function due to decreased pre-frontal cortex activity.
• Blood rushing to the brain, increasing sensory awareness.
• Tight muscles, including eye movement muscles.

An anxiety-activated stress response is a common cause of acute depth perception problems.

2. Stress-Response Hyperstimulation

Frequently activating the stress response, such as from overly anxious behavior, can prevent the body from completely recovering from an active stress response. Incomplete recovery can leave the body in a state of semi-stress-response-readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are powerful stimulants.

Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[7][8][9]

Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body.

Hyperstimulation can cause the changes of an active stress response even though a stress response hasn’t been activated.

Just as an active stress response can cause acute depth perception problems, hyperstimulation can cause chronic depth perception problems.

For example, hyperstimulation can lead to:

• Nervous System Excitation and Dysregulation: A chronically stimulated nervous system can cause all kinds of nervous system, sensory system, and equilibrium problems, such as depth perception problems.

• Homeostatic Dysregulation: Homeostasis is the body’s ability to automatically maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment. Hyperstimulation can cause homeostatic dysregulation, leading to internal regulation problems, which can affect the nervous, sensory, and vestibular systems, causing problems with depth perception.

• Hormone changes: Hormones play a crucial role in homeostasis and many bodily functions, which can affect the nervous, sensory, and vestibular systems. Since stress hormones affect other hormones, hyperstimulation can cause nervous, sensory, and vestibular system problems, such as depth perception problems.

Hyperstimulation can cause other symptoms, which can affect visual, vestibular, and spatial processing, such as:

• Brain fog
• Concentration problems
• Fatigue
• Sleep deprivation
• Coordination problems
• Vision impairments, including blurred vision
• Equilibrium problems, like dizziness, lightheadedness, and feeling off-balance
• Digestive problems, which can affect equilibrium
• Hearing problems, such as reduced hearing and feeling like one or both ears are plugged
• Cognitive impairment
• Hyper or hypoventilation

To name a few.

Any combination of the above can cause depth perception problems. As the degree of hyperstimulation increases, so can the degree of depth perception problems.

Hyperstimulation is a common cause of chronic depth perception problems.

When I (Jim Folk) first experienced this symptom, I thought it must have been caused by a serious medical, neurological, or mental illness because it was so unusual. So yes, it can scare you if you don’t know what causes this symptom.

But like all other anxiety- and stress-caused sensations and symptoms, depth perception problems are a common consequence of acute and chronic anxiety and hyperstimulation.

Other Factors

Other factors can create stress and cause anxiety-like symptoms, as well as aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, including:

• Medication
• Recreational drugs
• Stimulants
• Sleep deprivation
• Fatigue
• Hyper and hypoventilation
• Low blood sugar
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Dehydration
• Hormone changes
• Pain

Select the relevant link for more information.