Going for an eye test when you’re AuDHD is… an experience.
Not bad. Just… layered.
I sit down in the chair and immediately my brain does a full environmental scan.
The lights are slightly brighter than I expected.
The chair makes a noise.
The phoropter is very close to my face (why is it always closer than you remember?).
Someone in the next room is coughing.
The clock is ticking. Loudly.
Is that a buzzing?
Is it the lights or my brain?
Probably both.
“Just relax and look at the letters,” they say kindly.
SURE. OK.
I’m trying to focus on the chart, but my ADHD brain is already three steps ahead: Is that an E or an F? Why do they always start with the big one? If I get this wrong, does it say something about me as a person? Have I blinked too much? Not enough? Meanwhile, my autistic brain is very busy processing the experience: The texture of the armrests The pressure of the trial frame The fact that “or one… or two…” is a question I take VERY seriously Because listen — I don’t guess. Guessing feels illegal. So when they ask, “Which is clearer?” my brain goes: Define clearer. Sharper? Brighter? Less offensive to my nervous system? Is this a trick? There’s also the masking. Smiling. Nodding. Being polite. Trying not to say, “Could we pause for three seconds so my brain can catch up with my eyeballs?” And yet — when the optometrist gets it right? When the world suddenly snaps into focus?
Oh.
Magic.
That moment where the letters stop vibrating, the strain lifts, and your shoulders drop without you realising they were up around your ears. That’s the moment I remember why inclusive eye care matters so much.
Because for AuDHD brains, it’s not just an eye test.
It’s sensory processing.
Decision fatigue.
Timing.
Trust.
And feeling safe enough to say, “Actually, can we slow down a bit?”
And when someone listens?
When they explain, adapt, pause, rephrase?
That’s when it stops being overwhelming — and starts being empowering.
Same test.
Different experience.
And honestly?
That difference matters more than most people realise 💛