What Is Visual Snow Syndrome?
Visual snow syndrome causes a person to see numerous flickering tiny dots that fill the entire visual field in both eyes. People describe it as being similar to "snow or static" as used to be common in older television. Other symptoms may include migraines, drifting blobs of varying size and shape (floaters), or other visual effects such as glare, halos, starbursts, odd colors and shapes, or double vision (diplopia).
The cause of visual snow syndrome is unknown, but likely involves abnormal processing of visual information. Visual snow syndrome is diagnosed primarily by symptoms that last for more than three months despite normal eye examinations and ruling out other possible causes. There is no evidence-based treatment for visual snow at this time, but some people have been reported to be helped by medications used to prevent migraines, antidepressants, anti-seizure medication, or over-the-counter pain medications.
The cause of visual snow syndrome is unknown, but likely involves abnormal processing of visual information. Visual snow syndrome is diagnosed primarily by symptoms that last for more than three months despite normal eye examinations and ruling out other possible causes. There is no evidence-based treatment for visual snow at this time, but some people have been reported to be helped by medications used to prevent migraines, antidepressants, anti-seizure medication, or over-the-counter pain medications.
Source: Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center