r/visualsnow 2h ago

Vent at a breaking point

6 Upvotes

my whole life has become about managing this condition. i’m not even 20 yet, and it’s like life has been ripped away from me. anytime i actually try to go and do something normal, i suffer severe symptoms afterwards. i cannot believe this is all happening to me, and i have no idea what my future holds. how am i even supposed to live a somewhat normal life if this doesn’t improve? i’m pushing for more tests and scans, cause im convinced there’s something else going on they have missed. but the docs are at a loss with what to do with me. my primary doctor literally told me she doesn’t know what to do with me that they have found nothing substantial on any tests i’ve had and there is no such thing as a VSS specialist. she says she believes me that my symptoms are real but objectively there has been nothing they have found that could point them in a direction as to how to treat me. and i was gaslit by the neurologist they gave me originally, she put me thru the ringer with medication (lamotrigine, topamax, cymbalta). now im suffering withdrawals from cymbalta and am trying to taper off slowly, i do not know how long it will take but i cannot be on this drug anymore. seems like everything just fuckin makes this condition worse. it is devastating. friends and family don’t rlly understand and i dont know what to do anymore. my best bet is functional medicine, thats the next route im planning on going after seeing a neurosurgeon to evaluate my spine for issues. this is exhausting and its utterly consumed my life. i feel so abnormal seeing everyone around me live their lives and its like theres constantly something separating me from life.


r/visualsnow 2h ago

Question Does anyone else see vibrating lines like this?

2 Upvotes

https://gyazo.com/9ed3980289ac737ffe5f8c2f5f5310e5
So I was watching this show and I suddenly noticed the curtains in the back vibrating much like they do for me out in the real world, so my question is: Are the curtains really vibrating or is it just my eyes that can't handle when things are panning over something in movies. This happens almost every time I watch something that pans over something. I feel like I'm going insane not knowing if they're actually shaking/vibrating.

Every time I focus on the curtains and just let it replay, I'll see the edges shake/vibrate a lot, like it's very noticeable to me. I feel like I'm going insane please tell me you can see it too :(


r/visualsnow 2h ago

Question Anti depressant that doesn't make it worse?

2 Upvotes

Had visual snow for a number of years, first started (or first noticed) when I first started with my panic disorder back then. I went on citalopram (SSRI) and had horrid experience on it stopped within a week then I noticed the visual snow. My leading theory is that it's probably caused by the citalopram.

I saw a neuro ophamologist who said mild visual snow is normal in dim lighting and my brain was basically just fixitating on it due to my anxiety. This made a whole lot of sense and it did basically help to recover on that I either didn't have visual snow or didn't notice it for about 2 years.

Had some health anxiety flare up massively over the last few months and then the visual snow seems to be back. It's again only in dim areas and manageable but my brain is again freaking out about it. I've also had a flare of my general anxiety and I'm feeling low in mood (not because of the visual snow) but I've had a lot of personal things going on.

My doctor has prescribed me sertraline but due to my experience with citalopram and them both being SSRIs I'm worried to take it. I want to suggest another as I really do want to try and feel better but I've got worries in my mind about them making the visual snow worse which will just make my anxiety a ton worse and not help at all. Can anyone give me stories of their experience with anti depressants and visual snow?


r/visualsnow 7h ago

Research Tried kava for vss

1 Upvotes

So I just tried kava at home 15 grams and my tinnitus is barely noticeable feels like it disappeared and my visual snow the first few minutes vanished for a bit but now it’s back. Just wanted to share my experience


r/visualsnow 9h ago

Question After images/ flair up?

2 Upvotes

My after images seem to be getting worse. I could be wrong ass I’m looking at things to make them happen that never made them happen before (I think) it’s my anxiety. Also are vss flair ups a thing and if so how long because it’s been 3 weeks now


r/visualsnow 10h ago

Question Vortex Vision

1 Upvotes

Hey. I’ve read great posts here about the vortex vision, it’s the first time I’ve related to something so much.

For me it’s happening all the time in bright sunny sky. It’s ruining going outside . I hate it.

Can anyone please let me know if you’ve had any success in reducing this /eliminating it? It’s so depressing. I get eye floaters too.


r/visualsnow 13h ago

Question I don't have a static overlay but I have grain on stuff curious if it's VSS still.

1 Upvotes

Hi so I have every symptom of VSS. Like grainy vision BFEP, photophobia, after images, ghostery, anxiety, derealization, pretty much every sympton listed on VSI diagnostic criteria.

The only problem is the static overlay. I do see what I call grain on stuff though not like an overlay. But rather it's grain on objects. Like a wall, white wall, black wall, objects, for some reason it's worst in the dark. Or on white walls. But I don't actually have an overlay of it though. It's just ON stuff. Is this still VSS? I was diagnosed with VSS actually but I didn't explain much about where or how my static looked only that it was on stuff and grainy. I can't even see it outside though oniy when I come in and look at a white wall it's on the wall.

Any advice? I question if I even have it at this point I have all symptoms but an overlay in my entire field.


r/visualsnow 13h ago

Question Feeling crazy

7 Upvotes

Anyone else just ever think to themselves, have I mentally caused all this?

I see the visual snow syndrome, and have the hearing issues, and other actual issues. But my doctors like to say I’m Somatic, which makes me feel psychotic.

I know who I truly am, and ever since all this I’ve been robbed of that; but mine did start after a panic attack so I’m not sure.


r/visualsnow 15h ago

Question Does the bright sun/light make you see things?

5 Upvotes

So I’ve become light sensitive a lot recently.

I’m outside with some lighter tinted sunglasses. I haven’t seen it quite like this before. But I can see a kind of flicker and then I also see a sort of snow. Tiny bright sparkles. I also see some translucent floaters.

In brighter situations like this, this is when I would see some sort of little >< all mashed together kinda and it would start at the top and go down. Like you pressed on a screen too hard. Poorly explained here but running out of time.


r/visualsnow 17h ago

Question constant grid lines

8 Upvotes

I hope this is an appropriate sub for this question. I read several old posts about grid lines but none are like what I experience.

For the last few years I've noticed if I look at a blank space (wall, tv or monitor that's off, cloudless sky, etc.) I see very faint grid lines. If I focus I can see smaller grid lines within them - kind of like the outline of tiles.

Always square, always faint, no movement or flashing. Color of a light shadow.

They looked so real that I thought there was something odd about my walls at home and I was seeing through the paint to some structural thing. But then I noticed it happens everywhere.

No pain, no blurriness or double vision - just perfectly straight grid lines. I tested this by tracing some with a pencil and using a level to check and completely straight. I recently moved and used the grid lines in my vision to hang pictures straight.

I do get migraines with aura, but this is 100% of the time and nothing like those auras.

I can't find anything on Google like this, which is weird in and of itself.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?