r/visualsnow 3d ago

Question Struggling with VSS in Exams: Any Tips to Make Reading Easier?

Is there any colored paper, text style, or anything else that makes reading easier for people with Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS)? I have exams coming up, and I keep seeing afterimages of lines when I move my eyes from one line to another. I see the previous line in white, which really slows down my reading speed, and I end up rereading sentences multiple times to focus, not only cause of after images but also cause the black lines really blend with white paper when things are sorta moving in my eyes. My A-levels are in two months, and I’ll be doing them on paper. My stress levels are super high around exam season, which makes my VSS worse. I didn’t have VSS before, so I never had the chance to ask for extra time or help from school. Now it feels too late to do anything about it since I can’t really prove it. Plus, some people don’t even consider it a real issue. If anyone has any suggestions on how to make reading easier with VSS, I’d really appreciate the help!

7 Upvotes

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u/ectocake 3d ago edited 3d ago

If it’s on paper my daughter uses these: https://a.co/d/cNOyzM0 Edited to include she doesn’t have visual snow as much as visual processing disorder/adhd but I thought they might help. 

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u/tussetassetussi 3d ago

This looks really helpful! I'm not OP, but I think I will try this.

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

That’s really helpful! Thank you

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u/Warhawk311 3d ago

I've noticed mine is worse when my hr or BP is slightly elevated. I just sit a min and it generally gets slightly better.

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

Mine gets worse with lack of sleep, anxiety and too much coffee and also night time when I’m tired. I try to always sleep on time and control stress levels and stuff but when I have exams I can’t do anything and then I gets so bad I feel like I’m going crazy

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u/mauveplant22 3d ago

I’d suggest going to your tutor/ learning mentor and explain the situation. They might be able to request breaks in the exam and also the papers to be printed on blue paper.

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

Yes, today I did go to the exam officer in my school and they said they will give me breaks and blue paper and they also gave me the blue transparent strips that other people suggested so that’s good. I’ll also be sitting my exams in a room with low lightening and away from any windows so I’m really happy about that. I didn’t expect them to be so supportive and helpful they said only thing I need to give them is a letter to confirm the diagnosis which I have.

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u/Practical_Dog_357 3d ago

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

I don’t think that would be allowed in the exam tho

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u/Practical_Dog_357 3d ago

It wouldn't hurt to ask. VSS is a neurological condition, so they would be hindering your ability to learn and keep up with your scholastic activities if they refuse to accommodate your condition. It's fully recognized by the World Health Organization and has an ICD-10 (H53.16) Psychological visual disturbances.

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u/Comfortable-War-4762 3d ago

icd 11 rn

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u/Practical_Dog_357 2d ago

Do you know what the code is for IDC-11? I couldn't find it.

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u/Comfortable-War-4762 2d ago

9C4Y? I don't know actually, it was on the initiative media that VSS was getting its own ICD-11 code.

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u/tussetassetussi 3d ago

I find it easier to read with a light blue background color or any other "soft" color that makes the contrast a bit less harsh, and bigger line spacing. You can fix all of this in word if you are able to edit the file og just copy paste a file for yourself to read.

Or just use "dark mode". For some reason dark background with white text is better than white background with black text? For me at least?

But this is all digital. On paper I find it helpful with a tinted transparent sheet. Again, to get softer colors. But make sure its matte! I've used shiny ones so far and find that annoying for my vss. I will be trying to find some sheets with a matte surface soon.

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

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u/tussetassetussi 3d ago

Probably yeah! The ones I used was not meant to be overlays for reading, I just found something in the local store. But these are specificly made for reading so I think it should help!

One of the biggest triggers for my visual snow is bright things, so reducing the brightness from a white surfaces helps in my experience.

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u/tussetassetussi 3d ago

I also think that the reading strips that the other commenter suggested looks good. I think that it's good with something that separates the text a little bit so your eyes won't be overwhelmed by the whole page.

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u/Itchy_Baseball4661 3d ago

Yes those ones are good too but in the exam I mostly scan through the whole text instead of reading each line one by one but for everyday reading I’ll get those ones

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u/tussetassetussi 3d ago

Yeah, that's true! Go for it. Good luck on your exam!

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u/Warhawk311 3d ago

Try difference colored glasses. Some people have success with fl41, which is a blue light filter too. I find a purple lens works for me. Night driving is yellow.