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I know someone who recently started to experience visual noise - spots all over their field of view like TV static. After some research and testing it appears t

I know someone who recently started to experience visual noise - spots all over their field of view like TV static. After some research and testing it appears they have a thing called Visual Snow Syndrome, sort of the eye equivalent of tinnitus. So far no idea what to do about it though - has anyone here come across this before?

sneed_chucker 4y ago
I've had this for a few years now. I'd say the first thing to do is go to a doctor and rule out any more serious cause of the visual phenomenon, e.g. MS, brain tumor, and so on. If that's all clear, then you kind of have to just get used to it. Taking care of your overall health, like getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating well, seems to help people with their symptoms either directly or indirectly. There are a few neuro-opthalmologists working on treatments that seem to produce some degree of improvement in patients.
- danparsonson 4y ago
  That's useful, thank you for sharing your experiences.
- blatant303 4y ago
  Why would you want to heal it ? I have some heavy visual snow but it seems to disappear if I stop focusing on it. It seems like the grain of an old movie except that it doesn't seem to impair my ability to see details. kalm. I can of course focus on the snow and there is suddenly thousands of little rgb stars exploding everywhere and running along constrast lines. panik.
  - sneed_chucker 4y ago
    Yeah, just wish I could not See it you know? A lot of people find it distressing, feel like they're losing they're minds, feel depersonalized, etc. It's also not the only symptom, there's light trails, strong after images, very noticeable floaters and BFEP. Like basically more intense versions of visual phenomena that most people experience but it's persistent. For what it's worth, it doesn't really bother me anymore but developing it or noticing it for the first time can be hard for people.
- LoganDark 4y ago
  Sometimes I get weirdly self-conscious because I can't tell the difference between merely perceiving entropy and having "visual show". I can still see everything perfectly clearly. I can just also see entropy. Does that make it visual snow? Can I even describe the experience of "entropy" in a way that properly allows someone to tell whether what I'm describing counts as visual snow? Hm.
  - wruza 4y ago
    It’s usually “yes you can” when you can. As in: is this water boiling or not? You’re not sure only until it’s clear it is.
  - danparsonson 4y ago
    Maybe this will help: https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm Although the condition is not well understood, I think the consensus of opinion is that the phenomenon is neural rather than opthalmic - i.e. perceptual in nature. If you are perceiving entropy in a similar way to the website I linked, it could be VSS (obviously you should consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis though).
    - LoganDark 4y ago
      > Maybe this will help: https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm Isn't that... just entropy? At least, the default settings. Like... that's almost what I see (on the website it is greatly exaggerated). I see it because physically, light literally doesn't take the same path twice. Exact same reasons why path tracers take a long time to converge. I can see solid colors and make out shapes (even very small shapes) easily. Nothing is obscured. The noise isn't obnoxious or distracting or annoying. Neurologically I smooth it out and perceive a world without noise. But it's there. I would be more surprised if this is not a thing that happens to everyone. If someone can look at a surface, and see a completely solid color, with no sign of noise at all ever. With no entropy or anything. Completely and totally static and unchanging.
      - 4y ago
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
loa_in_ 4y ago
In my case, anecdata warning, it was caused by nose injury due to dry air 24/7 causing swelling inside the skull and impairing circulation combined with overall circulation problems, mainly neck tightness due to stress building up over time. It's now gone
- Wurlitzer 4y ago
  Interesting. Did you do something in particular to make it go away?
  - loa_in_ 4y ago
    No alcohol, more rest, more coffee with cinnamon, more sugar to help relaxation of muscles, more magnesium, b12, extra water and salt, temporarily, to accommodate more fluid capacity of relaxed body and it's vessels Eye movement. Eyeballs have a little opening at the back that acts as a drain for eyeball fluid, but it's only able to drain in "wall eyed" position for me, so looking at something very far away Eyeball massage. Gently pressing down on your eyeballs with palm of hand or squeezing one's eyelids tight shut for few seconds repeatedly
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- danparsonson 4y ago
  That's very interesting thank you - stress may well be a factor in my friend's case. Glad to hear that you recovered.
DontchaKnowit 4y ago
This is very common in recreational polydrug users, particularly in users of dissociative anesthetic drugs and psychedelics. So if you do those, stop for good. The effect will slowly mitigate.
- danparsonson 4y ago
  No recreational drugs involved in this case but thanks for the heads up.
- lighttower 4y ago
  I'm reading this thread intently after a friend who was in a clinical trial for psilocybin went for a ketamine treatment only a few days later. She has that floaters and brain fog. She recently started on an epilepsy drug that seems to be helping
taneq 4y ago
That's... not normal? Like, not a huge amount normally but a faint overlay that's there if you look for it, and much more visible in low light? What about edges, do people normally see them as having a kind of 'invisible glow'? It's hard to describe but they seem emphasized. I guess it looks a bit like ringing (in the signal processing sense, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_artifacts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_artifacts)
- disntthinkthis 4y ago
  I feel like it’s normal but people just don’t notice. Light is naturally noisy.
- akomtu 4y ago
  All five senses have this static noise in background: they are mediated by a number of discretely activated neurons, and in case of light, the photons themselves are discrete.
- danparsonson 4y ago
  No it certainly is not normal, and in the case of my friend only started within the last six months. There's more information here so you can get an idea what I'm talking about: https://visualsnowsyndrome.com/ https://visualsnowsyndrome.com/
  - disntthinkthis 4y ago
    That sounds severe and so unlike what I’ve experienced. But some amount of noise in vision is normal, you just don’t notice it unless you focus on it, or have a background that really makes it apparently. Light is inherently noisy. If you look at a blank sheet of paper and all you see is #FFFFFF, you’re not paying attention.
    - danparsonson 4y ago
      One theory I've heard is that we normally filter out the noise but in some people that's not happening and thus they experience VSS. Likewise for tinnitus.
beagle3 4y ago
Could also be a Visual Migraine (a.k.a Retinal Migraine and Ocular Migraine). AFAIK it is theorized that Visual Snow Syndrome and Visual Migraine are related.

sneed_chucker 4y ago

I've had this for a few years now. I'd say the first thing to do is go to a doctor and rule out any more serious cause of the visual phenomenon, e.g. MS, brain tumor, and so on. If that's all clear, then you kind of have to just get used to it. Taking care of your overall health, like getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating well, seems to help people with their symptoms either directly or indirectly. There are a few neuro-opthalmologists working on treatments that seem to produce some degree of improvement in patients.

danparsonson 4y ago
That's useful, thank you for sharing your experiences.
blatant303 4y ago
Why would you want to heal it ? I have some heavy visual snow but it seems to disappear if I stop focusing on it. It seems like the grain of an old movie except that it doesn't seem to impair my ability to see details. kalm. I can of course focus on the snow and there is suddenly thousands of little rgb stars exploding everywhere and running along constrast lines. panik.
- sneed_chucker 4y ago
  Yeah, just wish I could not See it you know? A lot of people find it distressing, feel like they're losing they're minds, feel depersonalized, etc. It's also not the only symptom, there's light trails, strong after images, very noticeable floaters and BFEP. Like basically more intense versions of visual phenomena that most people experience but it's persistent. For what it's worth, it doesn't really bother me anymore but developing it or noticing it for the first time can be hard for people.
LoganDark 4y ago
Sometimes I get weirdly self-conscious because I can't tell the difference between merely perceiving entropy and having "visual show". I can still see everything perfectly clearly. I can just also see entropy. Does that make it visual snow? Can I even describe the experience of "entropy" in a way that properly allows someone to tell whether what I'm describing counts as visual snow? Hm.
- wruza 4y ago
  It’s usually “yes you can” when you can. As in: is this water boiling or not? You’re not sure only until it’s clear it is.
- danparsonson 4y ago
  Maybe this will help: https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm Although the condition is not well understood, I think the consensus of opinion is that the phenomenon is neural rather than opthalmic - i.e. perceptual in nature. If you are perceiving entropy in a similar way to the website I linked, it could be VSS (obviously you should consult a medical professional for a proper diagnosis though).
  - LoganDark 4y ago
    > Maybe this will help: https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm Isn't that... just entropy? At least, the default settings. Like... that's almost what I see (on the website it is greatly exaggerated). I see it because physically, light literally doesn't take the same path twice. Exact same reasons why path tracers take a long time to converge. I can see solid colors and make out shapes (even very small shapes) easily. Nothing is obscured. The noise isn't obnoxious or distracting or annoying. Neurologically I smooth it out and perceive a world without noise. But it's there. I would be more surprised if this is not a thing that happens to everyone. If someone can look at a surface, and see a completely solid color, with no sign of noise at all ever. With no entropy or anything. Completely and totally static and unchanging.
    - 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

loa_in_ 4y ago

In my case, anecdata warning, it was caused by nose injury due to dry air 24/7 causing swelling inside the skull and impairing circulation combined with overall circulation problems, mainly neck tightness due to stress building up over time. It's now gone

Wurlitzer 4y ago
Interesting. Did you do something in particular to make it go away?
- loa_in_ 4y ago
  No alcohol, more rest, more coffee with cinnamon, more sugar to help relaxation of muscles, more magnesium, b12, extra water and salt, temporarily, to accommodate more fluid capacity of relaxed body and it's vessels Eye movement. Eyeballs have a little opening at the back that acts as a drain for eyeball fluid, but it's only able to drain in "wall eyed" position for me, so looking at something very far away Eyeball massage. Gently pressing down on your eyeballs with palm of hand or squeezing one's eyelids tight shut for few seconds repeatedly
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
danparsonson 4y ago
That's very interesting thank you - stress may well be a factor in my friend's case. Glad to hear that you recovered.

DontchaKnowit 4y ago

This is very common in recreational polydrug users, particularly in users of dissociative anesthetic drugs and psychedelics. So if you do those, stop for good. The effect will slowly mitigate.

danparsonson 4y ago
No recreational drugs involved in this case but thanks for the heads up.
lighttower 4y ago
I'm reading this thread intently after a friend who was in a clinical trial for psilocybin went for a ketamine treatment only a few days later. She has that floaters and brain fog. She recently started on an epilepsy drug that seems to be helping

taneq 4y ago

That's... not normal? Like, not a huge amount normally but a faint overlay that's there if you look for it, and much more visible in low light? What about edges, do people normally see them as having a kind of 'invisible glow'? It's hard to describe but they seem emphasized. I guess it looks a bit like ringing (in the signal processing sense, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_artifacts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringing_artifacts)

disntthinkthis 4y ago
I feel like it’s normal but people just don’t notice. Light is naturally noisy.
akomtu 4y ago
All five senses have this static noise in background: they are mediated by a number of discretely activated neurons, and in case of light, the photons themselves are discrete.
danparsonson 4y ago
No it certainly is not normal, and in the case of my friend only started within the last six months. There's more information here so you can get an idea what I'm talking about: https://visualsnowsyndrome.com/ https://visualsnowsyndrome.com/
- disntthinkthis 4y ago
  That sounds severe and so unlike what I’ve experienced. But some amount of noise in vision is normal, you just don’t notice it unless you focus on it, or have a background that really makes it apparently. Light is inherently noisy. If you look at a blank sheet of paper and all you see is #FFFFFF, you’re not paying attention.
  - danparsonson 4y ago
    One theory I've heard is that we normally filter out the noise but in some people that's not happening and thus they experience VSS. Likewise for tinnitus.

beagle3 4y ago

Could also be a Visual Migraine (a.k.a Retinal Migraine and Ocular Migraine). AFAIK it is theorized that Visual Snow Syndrome and Visual Migraine are related.