Sorry if that seems like laziness on my part. I seem to have had a (cognitive or perceptual) impairment for many years. Sometimes when I am actively looking for something (usually small within my field of view), and I know it should be right in front of me, I simply do not see it despite trying to look at every single thing that I can see. It affects me both on the computer screen and out in the world. Sometimes it's things like pens or scissors. Other times it's an icon or text on the screen. I first started to notice it about 10 years ago when I played World of Warcraft; I'd put an item in my backpack and then I was unable to find that item even though I knew what the icon looked like and that it should be there. It can be very frustrating and stress-inducing. I'd eventually find the thing I was looking for, and it was always in a spot that I had already looked but for some reason did not recognize it as that object. It's as though the information is going in to my brain, but it's not recognized as matching what I am expecting to find. Maybe a memory fault. I've mentioned it to a couple doctors, but they didn't really have much input for me.
A couple weeks ago, I think it happened with a person for the first time. I saw someone in my field of view, among other people, and he seemed to look like another person I know, so I registered him as the other person. Then when I looked at him again a couple minutes later, I realized it wasn't who I had thought it was. It took me by surprise, but I tried not to show it or say anything. I remember feeling confused and a bit surprised.
Because of these situations, I've developed certain strict habits such as always putting small items like my keys and wallet in exactly the same location so when I need them I know where it is. Unfortunately, this still sometimes fails me. I guess this is part of getting old.
