Visual snow is often said to involve tiny white and black dots that resemble a television screen with poor reception. It can also cover the entire visual field or only part of it. The visual disturbance can be either persistent, meaning it is always present, or transitory, meaning it is somewhat intermittent. Visual snow is a condition usually characterized by a disruption in a person’s visual field. With researchers beginning to see visual snow more clearly (yeah, we see the irony in that statement), it’s a good time to dig into what it is, what causes it, the symptoms it creates, and how it can be treated.
The American Academy of Neurology has begun to recognize it as a syndrome or condition. Not exactly helpful, huh?įortunately, perceptions of visual snow are beginning to change, enabling research-based visual snow initiatives. Rather than getting the help they need, patients with visual snow were often told it was all in their head, or was the result of past or present drug use. Years ago, few doctors regarded visual snow as a medical condition, and treated those who had it similarly to how they’d treat those with conditions we now know as chronic pain or fibromyalgia. Visual Snow Patient, Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Physiology & Pharmacology and Director, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience State University of New York (SUNY) Previously, I had thought that everybody experienced this.
In fact, when I say that I became aware of it at the age of 10-11, what I mean is that I learned then that other people don’t see it. As far as I know, I’ve always seen visual snow (although for decades, I didn’t know that it had an actual name). “I first became aware of seeing visual snow around 10-11 years of age (I’m now 47, and it’s never gone away). Here is an example of one person’s experience with visual snow. The clinical term for visual snow is aeropsia, but it may also be referred to as “visual static” or “positive persistent visual disturbance.” While the symptoms are generally similar, the visual snow experience tends to be somewhat unique from person to person, with doctors hearing slight differences in how patients describe their experience. Even a lot of those who experience visual snow don’t realize it’s not normal. Visual snow is considered to be a relatively rare disease, as it’s tough to pin down the exact statistics because a lot of people don’t know it by name or realize they have it. While it’s generally harmless, the related conditions causing the condition may be life threatening. Visual snow is a real medical condition having to do with visual processing in the brain. 10 If You (or Someone You Know) Has Visual SnowIf you have Visual Snow.
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9 How to Help Someone Suffering from Visual Snow.
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