do you have visual snow? i have it and i need information
Yes I do!
Unfortunately, I’m not an expert on visual snow since I have no idea how the frickle frackle I got this weird vision exactly nor do I know if it’s treatable or not… BUT I could share what I do know!
If your vision looks grainy or there’s like a translucent layer of TV static (or reaally tiny moving particles/snow/molecules) then sorry to break it to you;;;; you most likely have visual snow.
It’s much more visible at night, in the dark or pitch black like when you close your eyes.
I’ve had visual snow since I was 7 (I’m 18 now, so that’s 12 years!) and I only found out last year that this wasn’t how everyone else saw things! I thought EVERYONE HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS 24/7!!
I made a post about my visual snow in the past, if you haven’t seen it yet, you can read it here [x]
anywho, VS is a “neurological condition”, that’s the reason why when you try to ask your eye doctor and describe what’s wrong, they’ll think you’re cray-cray because VS is quite rare and isn’t a well-known condition. Not to mention, researches being done on VS are very scarce.
Nobody in my family has VS, although I’ve read other people’s stories that everyone in their family has VS, so I’m not so sure if it’s genetically inherited or not.
Other than seeing TV static, other symptoms of those with VS include;
Tinnitus (hearing ringing, throbbing or buzzing in the ear)
Seeing Starbursts and halos around lights
Seeing Floaters (translucent circles or string-looking things)
Palinopsia (negative after-images, seeing movement trails)
Scotoma (distortion or blind spots)
Migraines or headaches
Vertigo (dizziness or swirling/spinning sensation)
Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon (seeing white moving dots in the sky)
Other Entoptic Phenomenons such as; Purkinje Tree, Haidinger’s brush, Phosphene, etc.
some symptoms that I have which I don’t really know what they’re called;
Seeing moving blobs w/ colors (most of the time I see green, purple, red and blue)
Seeing thin and thick layers of semi-transparent colors around objects and people
Seeing translucent Honeycomb-like things
Those with VS are often ridiculed because their symptoms sound exactly like when you’re on hallucinogenic psychedelic drugs but I’ve never done any drugs before (unless you consider medicines for coughs and colds as drugs lol) and most VS sufferers have never done drugs as well so it’s not drug-related.
VS is most likely due to a chemical imbalance in the brain or something along those lines. However, people with VS have tried CT scans but they found nothing and all their results were normal.
Like I said, researches done on VS are scarce because it’s a very rare condition, plus it’s in the brain, and the brain is like; PRETTY COMPLEX… So yeah, there’s a whole different world up there!
Dedicated doctors are doing what they can to fully understand visual snow so they could find a cure and its causes. There are surveys being done on VS and I’m glad more people are becoming aware and learning about VS.
Below are some sites I’ve found where you can share your opinions, stories and experiences on visual snow, and also interact with those suffering from VS;
http://thosewithvisualsnow.yuku.com/https://www.facebook.com/awarenessforvisualsnowhttp://visualsnowawareness.weebly.com/https://twitter.com/VisualSnowAware
That’s all the information that I could share for now (I’m sorry it took a while)
Those of us with mild visual snow can still live normally and function from day-to-day (though it’s there 24/7 and may seem distracting, there’s nothing much we can do so we’ve learned to just live with it and not let it get in the way from doing every day things)
but to those with severe VS, where their vision becomes distorted and it’s impossible to read, drive, etc. they really have it rough. That’s why we are hoping for answers on how to cure it as soon as possible!
We’re also hoping to spread the awareness for visual snow because it ain’t easy when everyone thinks you’re going nuts! It’s very real and someone out there might actually have VS but don’t know a thing or two about it!
(so pls feel free to share or reblog)
Stay strong and we can get through this all together!