A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by a range of physical and cognitive symptoms. While true visual hallucinations, which involve seeing something that is not there, are uncommon during panic attacks, these events can trigger various unsettling visual disturbances. These visual changes can sometimes be mistaken for hallucinations due to their disorienting nature.
The Nature of Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are acute episodes of intense fear or discomfort that typically peak within minutes. They involve a rapid onset of severe physical reactions, often without clear external danger. Common non-visual symptoms include a racing heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, sweating, trembling, or a sense of impending doom.
The physical sensations can be highly disorienting, contributing to a feeling of unreality or detachment. This intense physiological activation is the body’s fight-or-flight response, triggered inappropriately. Panic attacks usually subside on their own, often leaving the person feeling fatigued.
How Panic Affects Visual Perception
Panic attacks influence visual perception through physiological and psychological mechanisms. The body’s fight-or-flight response, driven by the sympathetic nervous system, plays a central role, preparing the body for perceived danger.
An adrenaline surge affects blood flow, diverting it to major muscle groups. This can lead to temporary tunnel vision, a loss of peripheral vision. Pupils may also dilate, making eyes more sensitive to light.
Rapid, shallow breathing, or hyperventilation, also impacts visual perception. Hyperventilation reduces carbon dioxide levels, leading to respiratory alkalosis. This imbalance can narrow blood vessels, resulting in lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision, or increased sensitivity to flickering lights.
Extreme anxiety can heighten sensory awareness, causing individuals to notice normal physiological phenomena like eye floaters or visual snow with unusual intensity. Panic attacks often involve derealization or depersonalization, where individuals feel detached from their surroundings or themselves. These states can distort visual perception, making the environment seem unreal, distant, or dreamlike.
Distinguishing Visual Disturbances from Hallucinations
A true visual hallucination is defined as seeing something that is not present, without any external stimulus, and often appears vivid and persistent. Such hallucinations are rare during panic attacks and are more commonly associated with other neurological or psychiatric conditions. The visual experiences during panic attacks are typically disturbances of existing visual input rather than the creation of non-existent objects or figures.
Common visual disturbances experienced during a panic attack differ from true hallucinations in their nature. Tunnel vision, a loss of peripheral vision while central vision remains, is a frequent occurrence. Many individuals report blurred or distorted vision, where objects may appear out of focus or “off,” making it difficult to concentrate on visual details. Light sensitivity can also manifest, causing lights to appear excessively bright or harsh.
Other reported visual phenomena include visual snow or static, which involve seeing static-like dots, and an increased perception of normal eye floaters or brief flashes of light, often exacerbated by hyperventilation. Perceptual alterations stemming from derealization or depersonalization can make the environment seem dreamlike, flat, distant, or artificial, rather than seeing non-existent objects. Sometimes, heightened anxiety can also lead to misinterpretation of real stimuli, such as perceiving patterns in shadows or misjudging peripheral movement, due to an amplified focus on potential threats.
When to Consult a Professional
Seeking professional assessment is important if visual symptoms are a concern, particularly when accompanied by panic or anxiety. Consulting a doctor is advisable if visual disturbances are persistent or worsen, especially when they occur outside the context of a panic attack. This is important to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
If true hallucinations, such as genuinely seeing things that are not there, are experienced, medical evaluation is necessary. New or unexplained symptoms, including visual changes, should prompt a visit to a healthcare provider to investigate potential neurological or other physical conditions, such as migraines with aura or various eye conditions. Even without visual symptoms, frequent or debilitating panic attacks that significantly impair daily life warrant professional help. Mental health concerns, including anxiety or panic that impact daily functioning, should be discussed with a doctor to explore diagnosis and treatment options.