Visual Snow

[CollegeGuy]

My entire field of vision has a constant static -- it started when I was younger and hasn't gotten worse or progressively better. Went to eye doctors -- eyes looked fine... Has anyone heard of this condition "visual snow?" Down to a research level maybe a publication or site like PubMed containing this information?

[teadrinker]

Do you mean it's like looking at the static on a TV screen? (I'm talking about the old TVs, pre-digital!) I frequently see specks of blue light floating across my visual fields. Have also been to the eye doctor and been told it's "just migraine" and there is nothing wrong with the eyes / retina etc.

Sounds like you may find some articles published on the site you mentioned, possibly specific to opthalmology or neurology.

[CollegeGuy in reply to teadrinker]

Just like the old analog static tv's just it's more transparent though not entirely. For example in a dark room it's as if my vision is all you see when looking at the TV when it's all static. Migraines do not cause visual hallucinations of these sorts. Some doctors even blame it on "anxiety" this giving patients drugs which can imbalance many chemicals and cause more problems. It's a tricky disorder.

[lynnimp in reply to CollegeGuy]

I always have had this phenomena as well. However, my understanding is that it is part of the migraine spectrum, and one can experience the visual symptoms/manifestations without ever having an accompanying headache. Hence it is also known as "Persistent Migraine Aura without Infarction".

[mauledtodeath]

Hi Ive had this too since childhood. I have tinnitus which developed 4 years ago. I also have lots of eye floaters... There is a neurologist in London Mark Weatherall who has an interest in it. I think magnesium and b2 are supposed to help. Mine varies with migraine intensity.

[CollegeGuy in reply to mauledtodeath]

Hmm. Mom has b12 deficiency I wonder if that's associated.

[Gambit62 in reply to CollegeGuy]

B12 deficiency certainly seems to run in families. I have problems with B12 and would also characterise my migraines as having small specs of light. I don't always have the headache whilst it is going on but I wouldn't describe it as being bad enough in my case to have thought of it as static until now, but it does affect my ability to focus properly.

Migraine like headaches are one of the symptoms of B12 - along with tinnitus (generally high pitched) and a whole range of varying symptoms relating to the gut, mood, memory, movement.

pernicious-anaemia-society....

There is a forum on health unlocked that is sponsored by the pernicious anaemia society (PA is B12 deficiency which isn't related to having enough B12 in your diet but your ability to absorb it).

There are various drugs that can make it worse - including SSRIs (the most commonly subscribed anti-depressives), anti-convulsants and a lot of heartburn treatments.

Pscychological effects of B12D include mood-swings, depression (not surprising because most people just have no energy so you feel like a living zombie), and psychosis. I suspect it is frequently mistaken for depression (as the symptom most doctors think of as the main indicator - anaemia - particularly enlarged and deformed red blood cells) is a symptom that isn't always present.

Not sure if you are based in UK or US - in UK there is a standard test used for the diagnosis - called 'whole serum B12' or something like that but it you can still be B12 deficient eg at cellular level (it promotes healthy cell reproduction and helps maintains particularly nerve cells in the nervous system) but the test won't pick it up - and the levels set for being outside normal are probably too low as well. More appropriate tests are 'active B12', 'intrinsic factor antibodies' and 'parietal cell antibodies'. There are others as well that are slightly more focused on B9 - Folate - as there is a very close relationship between B9 and B12 ... and B6 for that matter.

Suggest you try looking through the symptoms and see which ones apply to you and then, if appropriate take that along to your GP and mention that your mother is B12 deficient ... and join the PAS forum.

[CollegeGuy in reply to mauledtodeath]

Went to get my magnesium levels checked today. If not that they're referring me to a neurologist.

[mauledtodeath in reply to CollegeGuy]

Was that serum mag with your GP? Im waiting on hair analysis for magnesium and heavy metals and minerals. I think my b12 is ok as my energy is ok but I do think I have an autoimmune thyroid problem and my hormones are all over the place. Am also going to get my tpo antibodies checked out again as they were raised last year and at some point gluten sensitivity. Tests are soooo expensive.

[Ghost2345]

Hi

Have you been see at a Regional Neuro Centre? If you haven't sake to be referred, if you have but are still not getting anywhere ask for a referral to The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Queens Square, London.

Have you tried anti epileptic drugs? They are used in conditions that come under the Migraine umbrella?

[CollegeGuy in reply to Ghost2345]

I don't believe I'm epileptic although I do have fainting spells on occasion but -- which after researching does hint towards partial seizure -- but I was always told I was hypoglycemic. I'm based in the US doctors have no idea what I'm talking about.

[Ghost2345 in reply to CollegeGuy]

No......I'm not implying you have epilepsy. A lot of drugs can be used for totally different medical problems. Some drugs that are used in epilepsy are also used in Migraine associated problems. I take Amitriptyline and Verapamil for my headaches. Verapamil was mainly used for Heart rate problems and Amitriptyline is more known as an antidepressant but is also very good for the management of certain types of pain.

[smileyday]

Here is a link that identified what you are describing exactly in addition to the tinnitus mentioned below. What caught my eye was the mention at the bottom of two doctors, maybe you could investigate them further for assistance.

By the looks of it, this is not a migraine.

eyeonvision.org/visual-snow...

[CollegeGuy in reply to smileyday]

Yeah, I've read all those sights... Still no definite "cause" or effective treatments.

[teadrinker in reply to smileyday]

Thanks for this. I found it really interesting. I've been seeing visual floaters since 2000 which was blamed on some anti-malarial medication I took, but given all the other strange visual disturbances I'm now not so sure. I also have tinnitus which gets worse during a migraine. Stupid brain!

[CollegeGuy]

This link will give more insight on how my vision is 24 hours a day. Never changes.

evisualsnow.com/wp-content/...

[Gambit62 in reply to CollegeGuy]

That's more or less what I get but the intensity for me is much, much less.

Sorry that you can't get doctors to understand what is going on.

Have you had blood tests done to look for autoimmune problems? thyroid, B12, etc. Unfortunately you can often get more than one simultaneously. Would definitely get the B12 checked if your mother has been identified as having a problem. Do you have any digestive problems?

[inasense]

Hi CollegeGuy, welcome to the forum-

I can echo most of what everyone has said already in that I too deal with constant visual static across my entire field of vision, often referred to as visual snow, as well as tinnitus, photophobia, and "eye floaters." This all started almost a year ago, before this time I had 20/10 vision and no such visual problems whatsoever. The visual snow is by the far the most prominent of the visual symptoms-always there, very intrusive, and unfortunately has gone untreated/undiagnosed by several Neurologists/Ophthalmologists. I've been given a broad diagnosis of something within the "migraine spectrum" and put on both Amitriptyline and Verapamil, though these meds have yielded little in the way of alleviation of the symptoms.

There is a forum dedicated to this phenomenon which has a decent community and is fairly active, maybe worth checking out if you haven't done so: thosewithvisualsnow.yuku.com/

Modern medicine apparently knows very little of the condition, and as I'm sure you're aware there is no standard of treatment nor diagnosis. Some folks on the forum have reported a decrease in severity and even total remission with different vitamin/diet/lifestyle regiments, and in rare cases the condition can apparently "vanish" on it's own.

Good luck,

-J

[Artemis]

Hello CollegeGuy

I get visual disturbances (all the time even when I don't have a migraine), I can only assume they're connected. If I go out into daylight, even cloudy I get a shimmering halo which partially blinds me. It does subside after a while. Ditto the same when I go into a dark room after being in normal light, I get the blinding shimmering halo. I also have shimmering blobs which are more noticeable in bright light. And if I look at something patterned it shimmers like a heat haze. I also get aura without migraine & migraines without aura. I suffer with vertigo too and have lots of eye floaters & astigmatism.

In fact I've sort of diagnosed myself with scintillating scotomaas my disturbances are exactly like this:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scint...

[tandori]

Dr. Goadsby recently did a study and found that on functional MRIs, Visual Snow sufferers had a hyperactive visual cortex compared to normal subjects with no visual snow and no hyperactivity in the visual cortex. Goadsby thinks that there might be a treatment on the horizon, and he is launching a new study. Check out the visual snow website on facebook for more information about this research. BTW, most VS sufferers have had normal MRIs...but FUNCTIONAL MRIs are different from the usual MRI that our doctors order. Functional MRIs are only available in a research setting and they measure brain activity.

[JoshuaP1991]

Ive had this for as long as i can remember. I recently been obsessing over it and keep tricking myself its getting worse. Im pretty sure its not lol. I heard Verpamil helps with vs. I think im gonna make a app with my doctor and see if he can get me some.