Looking in the eye

In America it is custom to look someone in the eye while speaking and rude if you do not. I am an American with no diverse ethnic background and I am extremely bothered to both look someone in the eye as well as having someone look me in the eye. It makes me feel stared down, judged, and threatened even from friends and family. I also have a fear of the eye itself. I am grossed out with issues concerning the eye and cannot let friends put eyeshadow or mascara on because it makes me feel dizzy and faint. Why am I so bothered with looking in the eye and why does the eye itself bother me?

I struggle to make eye contact mist of the time always have had this issue. It's harder when I like someone male or female. I can't put contact len's in my eyes nor eye drops. I can do my own make up but someone else doing it freaks me out. Going to the Opticians freaks me out too.... no idea why I'm bothered by the eyes though

I Dont usually have trouble with eye contact Unless I'm symptomatic with my delusions then eye contact can be very upsetting. My youngest son has aspergers and he used to have trouble with eye contact but he's gotten much better. Having trouble with eye contact is often a problem for people with aspergers. I'm sorry you have this difficulty and hope it doesn't cause too much trouble for you. (((Hugs)))

I have problems looking at someone for a while. It's particularly bothersome for my husband, who can stare anyone down. I can't look at him and talk for more than a few minutes.

I haven't had problems with doing things near my eyes.

I don't understand why people care so much if someone doesn't want constant eye contact. I have no problem with eye contact, but if other people do that is just fine.

To be honest, I hardly notice when people say they have trouble with eye contact until they tell me. I just don't see it as an offense.

It makes much more sense to me that deliberate eye contact is a form of confrontation or intimate vulnerablilty rather than respect or polite conduct.

My parents always told me to be careful of anyone who can't look you in the eyes. As I've grown I've learned that eye contact doesn't always prove trustworthiness by a long shot and judging people who don't like eye contact is not fair. Still, there are many in this world who do not trust someone who cannot look them in the eyes. It's kinda a form of prejudice if you think about it. (((Hugs)))

I look people in the face when I talk to them. I've never looked people in the eye.

--Ceara

Me too, I find the entire face easier to look at for long periods than just at the eyes. I will focus around various parts of the face with a quick glance to the eyes between each move about. I just can't stare at someone's eyes for longer than a moment.

I'm not much for eye contact either. I almost always look people in the mouth because as a child I lost most of my hearing and had to learn to read lips for people to properly communicate with me. Even though the doctors almost fixed my hearing, childhood habits like that die hard. It has nothing to do with trustworthiness and everything to do with not trusting my brain to understand the words coming out of your mouth.

Eye contact doesnt bother me at all unless its from someone I do not know and I feel scared and need to get the hell away from...

My Pdoc as huge issues with eye contact, which I actually find humorous to be honest