In my most recent post I wrote about “seeing stars”— not those in the night sky, but rather the “stars” (actually called phosphenes) we see if we press on or rub our closed eyes (not recommended!), those that astronauts see in space with their closed eyes (probably the result of being hit by cosmic rays), those reported by prisoners locked in dark cells (a phenomenon called “Prisoner’s Cinema”) and, of course, the “stars” that boxers report seeing when they are knocked out.
In this post we’re going to talk a little bit about “snow”—not the kind that we shovel or ski on, but the kind that some people report seeing all the time, in any season.
People with the condition called ‘visual snow’ report seeing small, moving dots—comparable to television static—in their field of vision. This snow or static is always there, but can be worse in the dark. The cause of the condition is not yet understood, and there do not appear any successful treatments available, which makes it a confounding condition for both physicians and patients.
by xJason.Rogersx
“Although the vision is affected,” says one sufferer, “very few people have had irregular eye test results. Most come back within normal range, leading doctors to believe that patients may be making their symptoms up. CT scans and MRIs also tend to come back normal, again stumping doctors.”
Indeed, frustration about how difficult it is to get the condition diagnosed and treated seems to be one of its hallmarks—there are quite a few videos posted on the Web in which patients tell sometimes heart-wrenching stories about inconclusive tests and skeptical physicians.
You can see for yourself what living with visual snow is like by visiting this simulator, which allows you to change the background, as well as the density and flicker rate of the “snow.” The simulator makes it clear how troubling this condition must be.
The patient I quoted above is so determined to understand the cause of her disease, and to find a treatment for it, that she started a foundation dedicated in part to doing just that. On the foundation’s site is information about a study of visual snow being conducted under the auspices of The University California, San Francisco Headache Center. The study’s lead physicians are looking for people with the condition to participate in 30-minute phone interviews to help them better understand the condition.
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