Quilts that Hurt My Eyes
 

I finally got to the American Folk Art Museum in NYC. Gorgeous old quilts, a gift shop, and a 911 memorial quilt are a must-see for any quilter visiting New York. (fyi, if you go, the museum has 2 locations several blocks apart.) But a strange thing happened to me. While gazing at quilts with Bethlehem star and lone star patterns, I felt slightly dizzy, the quilt appeared to be moving around, and my eyes began to hurt. They probably were already slightly strained from reading the plaques without reading glasses. So I just stopped looking at those quilts. But when I caught one of them out of the corner of my eye, the room would start spinning again. The only blame I can give to the quilts is that the color schemes and points were so perfect, they created a 3D effect that my eyes just couldn't handle. I've seen these patterns plenty of times here and elsewhere on the net with no such effect.

Does this happen to anyone else, or am I alone?

I've not heard of it happening, but I imagine with the right lighting and color placement it could affect people. My Dad doesn't care for bargello quilts because of they way they draw his eyes around. Glad I found that out early on, as I was thinking about making one for him.

Cheers, K

it could be as corginole has said the colors and lights combined. and it could be the fatigue. i think that a nice nap would do wonders so you can run right back and look more.

I'm an eye doctor in real life when I'm not quilting. What you've described sounds like eye fatigue. To go from looking at quilts at a distance and then up close (especially when not wearing the correct eyeglass or contact lens prescription) really makes the eyes work more than they should. That can cause headaches, feelings that either one or both eyes are turning more than they should and all other manner of visual discomfort. However, if it happens again, I'd get in for a check up as soon as possible.

Thanks, Dr. Threadbanger. What you wrote really makes sense. I do need to get to an eye doctor. My eyes are basically a complicated mess (although others are far worse off than me), and I need to take care of them better, which includes always taking reading glasses with me. I constantly wear contacts for moderate/severe nearsightedness, and only recently started with reading glasses. I'm still bitter, because when I moved 2 years ago, I left behind a wonderful eye doctor, and have yet to find another of his caliber.

I get that kind of "movement" when looking at red on green (bright colors) quilts.

[QUOTE=hannajo;4672012]Thanks, Dr. Threadbanger.
:D:D:D I am sorry, but that was just too cute..:o

I occasionally have trouble getting dizzy looking at certain patterns but my problem stems from severe head trauma from a car crash.

Blue light kills my eyes. Blue christmas lights, blue neon signs, any kind of blue lights. The worst is the new headlights they came out with. Makes me crazy. Like staring at a strobe light. I think I'm getting old...

This is so weird. I was looking at a quilt on the board today and asked my DH to come sit in my chair and look at the quilt; I asked him if it looked 3D and he said no. But when I looked at it, it looked 3D and made me dizzy.