Visual snow?

Erm, if it's not affecting your day to day life too much, just get on with it would be my advice. The only reason you'll notice it more now is because you're aware of it, so try not to think of it too much (which is hard!)

I kinda get it. Never had a migrane, and never really had a proper headache, but I see white dots quite a bit every now and again. Mainly after I've turned off the light to go to bed, I "see" load s of dots or whatever floating about. Like dust caught in sunlight (for a sizing), but in the dark!
And I can empathise with the 'depersonalisation' thing. Though not necessarily the panic attacks.

So I wouldn't say you're alone, but couldn't give too much advice either I'm afraid (basically, I just spent this post waffling! Sorry! :p:

)

Reply 2

ben_stretch

I get that as well, I'm on medication for my migraines and auras, but I do get that sort of visual snow thing aswell!!

Reply 3

Bubblebee

15

Wow. I've always had this, like forever. I used to think of it like a net or a bubble surrounding me and is part of the reason I sleep with the lights on :redface:

. Weird.

Reply 4

ben_stretch

Mine are made a lot worse by light though, on a bright day, when I step back inside my vision goes completely black! Crazy stuff

Reply 5

CommunistHamster

stolenstars

Just wanted to check... It isn't normal to look at the sky and see moving white/translucent things buzzing arround is it?

The symptoms I have which are characteristic of visual snow:
1)Look at the sky, see lots of white sparkles, moving arround.
2)Sometimes I look at the sky, and see a big translucent thing that I can't follow with my eye.
3)I get migraines with aura, which wiki mentions something about.
4)Things have a mildly static appearance. Not very noticable unless in dim light
5)Depersonalization (I think). I am not 100% sure what it is, but sometimes (this is hard to describe, I'll try) I start thinking about how unbelieveable it is that I am walking down the street/alive... that its unreal. I panic, thinking "I'm here/I'm alive/This is actually happening". I have to calm myself down by telling myself to think of mundane trivial things about life (eg, geography coursework), if I didn't I think I would have a panic attack or something!).
Possible symptoms, might be something else:
1)I sometimes see "orbs" (a glowing ball of light), most likely to happen when I am using a mirror.
2)When I get up to quickly I see clear darting white sparkles, similar to the ones I see in the sky.

So do you think I have "visual snow"?
What should I do? I doubt the GP even knows what it is...

Sorry to ask about such an obscure thing no one has heard of :s-smilie:

I get 2, 4 and 5 fairly often, it's nothing to worry about, I think. I have very poor eyesight (prescription minus 10). The sparkling isn't normal though.

The "floaters" are perfectly normal though, everyone has them.

Reply 6

Saffie

11

that's really strange!!
if it's a problem or you're worried about it, go to your GP, :smile:

Reply 7

MSB

17

I have all of those, and I'm pretty much healthy.

Apart from maybe the depersonalisation one, because I don't particularly understand what that's meant to be.

Reply 8

Jiktori

I always thought it was normal; and judging from the responses so far, I still think it is!

Reply 9

IndelibleBlack

I get this, but my doctor brushed it off as 'dust' in my eyes. WTF? I used to get it cronically before i got my glasses (eased the migranes as they're dark tinted lenses) but i still get frequent static spells and weird wavy translucent wave type things - but i can sometimes follow them.

My mate gets this too but she see's a neurologist because she doesn't need glasses like i do, hers is all about the brain.

Reply 10

VickieLR

This is freaky, I was actually going to make a thread about this today. I found out I have visual snow. I always thought it was normal and I'm trying to work out whether more people get it than we realise.

How much static do you get at night? I get it really severely but I can't imagine seeing a dark room without any static.

Reply 11

Angela_

5)Depersonalization (I think). I am not 100% sure what it is, but sometimes (this is hard to describe, I'll try) I start thinking about how unbelieveable it is that I am walking down the street/alive... that its unreal. I panic, thinking "I'm here/I'm alive/This is actually happening". I have to calm myself down by telling myself to think of mundane trivial things about life (eg, geography coursework), if I didn't I think I would have a panic attack or something!).

I get this too, more the way you describe it though, rather than the definition on wikipedia. I didn't realise it was actually a medical condition...
Also, I see translucent floating things when I look at the sky, but I don't get migraines or static.

Reply 12

OP

Wow, it seems like quite a lot of you have it!

Could it actually be that everyone really sees them, they just don't notice them?

I do get the "static", but I don't think it is severe. I do have a fear of the dark (lol..) which I thought may be because of this.

I think I would feel sheepish going to the GP and saying "I think I have visual snow". They probs won't know anything about it, so I would have to print the wikipedia article I think...

Reply 13

OP

Angela_

I get this too, more the way you describe it though, rather than the definition on wikipedia. I didn't realise it was actually a medical condition...
Also, I see translucent floating things when I look at the sky, but I don't get migraines or static.

Neither did I, I thought I was special hehe :p:

... Does anyone on here not see things it the sky? Would be helpful to know :cool:

Reply 14

Wildstarchild

7

I don't, unless I'm squinting into really bright light and then look away.

I do get really bad migraines though and I can always tell when one is coming on because I get diagonal lines across my vision.

Reply 15

Somebody

stolenstars

... Does anyone on here not see things it the sky? Would be helpful to know :cool:

Normally, I don't.

Unless I've been looking into the sun, then I get the black spots that you get anyways from doing that :p:

Oh, I get dots infront of my eyes after handstands/ cartwheels / landing on my head, but I think that's normal too lol :p:

Reply 16

Mush

17

stolenstars

This is long, but I would be so greatful if someone could research this and give me a second opinion.

Basically, I was just reasearching migraines on wiki because someone on TSR was asking about them, and I descovered something called "visual snow" ...and think I have it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Visualsnow-80.jpg - picture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow - article

This is the one that most resembles what I see:
http://www.migraine-aura.org/site/content/e27891/e27265/e42285/e42288/e57536/e57733/Metro_Dynamics_Window_small_400_en.jpg

Just wanted to check... It isn't normal to look at the sky and see moving white/translucent things buzzing arround is it?

The symptoms I have which are characteristic of visual snow:
1)Look at the sky, see lots of white sparkles, moving arround.
2)Sometimes I look at the sky, and see a big translucent thing that I can't follow with my eye.
3)I get migraines with aura, which wiki mentions something about.
4)Things have a mildly static appearance. Not very noticable unless in dim light
5)Depersonalization (I think). I am not 100% sure what it is, but sometimes (this is hard to describe, I'll try) I start thinking about how unbelieveable it is that I am walking down the street/alive... that its unreal. I panic, thinking "I'm here/I'm alive/This is actually happening". I have to calm myself down by telling myself to think of mundane trivial things about life (eg, geography coursework), if I didn't I think I would have a panic attack or something!).
Possible symptoms, might be something else:
1)I sometimes see "orbs" (a glowing ball of light), most likely to happen when I am using a mirror.
2)When I get up to quickly I see clear darting white sparkles, similar to the ones I see in the sky.

So do you think I have "visual snow"?
What should I do? I doubt the GP even knows what it is...

Sorry to ask about such an obscure thing no one has heard of :s-smilie:

I get this. All the time when I look at the clear sky or any other clear canvas sort of thing. I always thought it was just dust particles on my outer eye or something... Only this floaters stuff though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater#Vitreous_syneresis

I guess it's more medical than I thought though :s-smilie:

... worrying! Not dust at all lol.

Reply 17

OP

Somebody

Normally, I don't.

Unless I've been looking into the sun, then I get the black spots that you get anyways from doing that :p:

Oh, I get dots infront of my eyes after handstands/ cartwheels / landing on my head, but I think that's normal too lol :p:

I guess those kinda dots are to do with blood rushing to the head lol :p:

Another thing the sites about visual snow talk about is an after image. I am not really sure if I get those, but sunspots (from the real sun, or camera flash etc) seem to stay for aaaaages in my vision. Wondered if that has something to do with it too :confused:

Reply 18

VickieLR

Another thing the sites about visual snow talk about is an after image. I am not really sure if I get those, but sunspots (from the real sun, or camera flash etc) seem to stay for aaaaages in my vision. Wondered if that has something to do with it too :confused:

Yeah, you can get 'positive' or 'negative' after images (meaning they're either the same colours as what you looked like, or the opposite), me and my boyfriend were discussing this last night. According to people with visual snow, they do last a lot longer, I've certainly found this to be true.

Oh and about the night thing, it kind of obstructs me from seeing much else, and I used to hallucinate lots as a child because of it. I've only just started sleeping with no lights, but do have the occasional freak out and have to turn the telly on or something.

Reply 19

OP