I wanted to know if any of u guys have constant static only in the periphery, like me :(

Any time I look at the sky, I get this but it’s moving inside out, like rolling sort of. Anyone else?

Has anyone else experienced this? When I go to bed and wake up in the middle of the night, a certain spot in my vision has a tint of color that isn’t actually there. For me, it appears red. It fades after about 10 seconds, but recently, over the past day, it seems more noticeable and redder than before

How linked is very bad visual stress with VSS? I have both.

Hi all, I’ve had VSS to some degree my whole life but it became much more severe suddenly when I was 20 (overnight explosion of new symptoms, floaters, overly bright vision, then in months following halos/starbursts around lights and much more). Other than that my other main sudden spike was when I was 30, 4 days into taking an extremely low dose of Adderall My tinnitus spiked severely and has never gone back down to baseline even after stopping Adderall. Other symptoms have gradually worsened or sometimes improved over the years but those are my two major spikes.

I also have severe SIBO and digestive issues that leave me unable to eat normally. As my SIBO has gotten worse my memory and brain fog has also gotten way worse, it’s scary sometimes.

My digestive issues started around 2011 around the same time severe PSSD started from SSRIs (Prozac). None of these issues have resolved so my whole adult life I’ve had PSSD, VSS and SIBO.

It really sucks and I want to get help.

I think that treating my gut issues could maybe help with my other conditions but even if it doesn’t, treating my SIBO is pretty mandatory at this point. There is a very small list of foods I can tolerate and even those make me feel bad. My Dr. thinks I have MCAS. I’m still hoping that it’s more of an MCAS like reaction to SIBO that could resolve if SIBO is controlled but either way I’m experiencing a ton of crazy symptoms that mostly get worse as time goes on.

TLDR: I need to take Metronidazole & Rifaximin (aka Flagyl) to treat my long term SIBO but am terrified of triggering another permanent VSS spike ESPECIALLY the tinnitus. And no I will absolutely never take Neomycin as that’s a know hearing loss/tinnitus trigger.

Has anyone else gone through SIBO treatment who also has VSS? And if so did the treatment worsen your VSS? Any advice from SIBO + VSS people would be greatly appreciated.

I’m so tired of feeling sick all the time, I need to do something to at least try and get better.

Other side note is my doc is reluctant to treat my SIBO with herbal anti-microbials because of all my MCAS symptoms. She says that herbals could actually be more upsetting for MCAS than antibiotics. Basically I got a lot going on and it feels so hard to treat one thing without worsening the other.

Il n'y a pas vraiment de communauté française pour la neige visuelle, je viens de faire un Discord en espérant que ça soit les premières briques d'une future communauté où on peut partager des infos/aides/doctor dans un contexte français, donc hesitez pas à rejoindre

https://discord.gg/e3bUxeVuv

Et si vous connaissez des communautés française sur internet pour la neige visuelle, je serai heureux de rejoindre

Hi everyone. I see these phosphenes when I close my eyes in the dark and move them from side to side. In the morning, after sleeping in a dark room, if I go to the bathroom without turning on the light and move my eyes, the effect intensifies—I see distinct, clear white circles. After a few minutes (especially in the light), it passes, and they go back to looking the way they usually do. Do any of you experience this?

I have regular check-ups with the doctor, and everything is fine.

https://reddit.com/link/1v2ezz4/video/oisjdxhtckeh1/player

You may recognize my username. Roughly a year ago, I posted about how nortriptyline helped my visual snow symptoms.

It reduced them by around 70%, but I was still dealing with a nasty migraine every single day, so I started trying different medications.

I tried CGRP inhibitors, Botox, lamotrigine, and a few other drugs. I have to say, the following medications significantly help me.

- Nortriptyline alone reduced them by around 60%.
- Lamotrigine alone got me to around 85%.
- Combining lamotrigine with memantine has so far gotten me 90-95% thou I haven’t been in it for enough time to see its full potential.

However, as my visual snow improved, I started noticing other symptoms that didn’t really seem connected to the visual snow: exhaustion, tiredness, lightheadedness, dizziness, intermediate head pressure, pulsatile tinnitus.

I stopped being active on this subreddit, but one day I got curious and decided to see what was hot. I saw a post from a guy named Blake. I believe he deleted his account not sure why. He posted about getting surgery for Eagle syndrome/IJV compression. Honestly, I thought, fuck it. I’m going to get a scan.

I talked to my doctor, and he said he didn’t want to do a CT scan because he didn’t want to put me through unnecessary radiation. Instead, we decided to do a Doppler ultrasound, which can actually be useful because they can check the jugular veins in different positions.

Updated:

Results:

-in neutral position both veins had decrease in size, right side >80% compression, left side ~50%

- When I turned my head to the right, I had some flow in my left vein.

- When I turned my head to the left, I had complete 100% blockage.(Blood started to actually flow in the opposite direction) Ironically my most common sleeping position.

Looks like I’ll be digging into this. I will keep you all updated.

Update: Spoke with my doctor, both veins are substantially compressed from my MRI in 2022. Further imaging will be done.

I'm having a really bad year (dad died, gf got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and other stuff) and I just got back from my psychiatrist. He recommended going back on escitalopram for my GAD/health anxiety. We also talked about pregabalin and duloxetine, but since escitalopram worked well for me in the past (3 years ago), we both agreed it's probably the better choice.

The only thing I'm really anxious about is my VSS. I dont have a problem with snow itself, but palinopsia/light trailing in the past could be quite severe.... I've seen some stories online about SSRIs and VSS, so I'm honestly pretty scared.

The thing is... I was actually on escitalopram for about a year before, and I don't remember it causing any obvious worsening of my VSS. So maybe it'll be fine this time too? My VSS used to be stronger in the past, but I dont think it was during taking ssris

Just wondering if anyone here with VSS has gone back on escitalopram/any ssri again. How did it go for you? Was it just like before?

What do people think of this website for helpful resources? https://www.visualsnowinitiative.org/

Any other recommended recovery and management resources?

Thanks 💙

When I move my head in a room in front of plain structures I see 2 dark circles that moves with head... Anyone experiencing this? I'm just 17

Do people notice their visual stress / VSS symptoms are worse in the morning and at night? Tiredness and lightning and stress?

Any other themes noticed?

Foi quando eu tive neve visual pela primeira vez. Foi algo que me destruiu completamente. Eu via aquele chuvisco para todos os lados, tinha sensibilidade à luz, cegueira noturna e outros sintomas que me deixavam desesperado. Cheguei a procurar ajuda psicológica, mas, naquele momento, não resolveu.

Eu também passava muito tempo no Reddit lendo relatos e pesquisando sobre os sintomas, mas percebi que isso só fazia com que eu prestasse ainda mais atenção na neve visual. Quanto mais eu procurava por ela, mais eu percebia.

Os psicólogos sempre falavam para eu aceitar e parar de dar tanta atenção àquilo, mas eu não conseguia entender como isso seria possível. Como eu simplesmente ignoraria aquele chuvisco ao meu redor?

Mas, depois de um ano e alguns meses, eu finalmente entendi. Hoje, eu praticamente não percebo mais a neve visual. Só consigo vê-la quando lembro dela ou começo a focar nela. No resto do tempo, meu cérebro simplesmente ignora.

É como o nosso próprio nariz: ele está no nosso campo de visão o tempo todo, mas o cérebro filtra essa informação.

Hoje eu sou feliz e finalmente entendi o que eles queriam dizer com “aceitação”. Quando parei de pesquisar constantemente, de procurar os sintomas e de prestar atenção neles, meu cérebro voltou a ignorar aquele ruído de fundo.

So every few months my vss stage adds more visual errors. Up to this day , my vision is full of errors , spots , dots , flashy blobs , dark spots and blobs etc. Just moving my body for a walk triggers and multipy all of this like a chorus of errors. Feels like my brain cables are not connecting correctly anymore. I miss working out so much. I do one squat and suddenly white transparent spots become visible in almost all my vision both eyes. I go for a walk? Random flashes get activated . I miss so much doing some basic stuff guys. I cant even cry im so tired of Tinnitus and visual errors.

How linked is very bad visual stress with VSS? I have both.

I started microdosing Tirzepatide and I’ve heard it can improve tinnitus and it overall treats inflammation. Wondering if a GLP1 has improved anyone’s snow???

I apologise if this is the wrong subreddit to post in but my vision is getting so bad and it’s affecting my life so greatly that if it continues to get worse i’ll off myself so i don’t have to deal with it anymore. My worsening sight (that i presume is because of VSS since every optician i’ve seen hasn’t been able to spot anything physically wrong with my eyes) has played a huge part in ruining my life. Because of my eyes i barely leave the house, i experience frequent panic attacks, i don’t go to school, i live in a constant state of unease and i isolate myself from everyone, even my own family, because it’s too overwhelming to socialise with anyone. The worst thing about it is that both my autism and dissociation make dealing with my visual disturbances a lot more difficult. Genuinely what’s the point in living when this is my quality of life ?? I doubt any of this will change for the better. I cannot cope with the massive amount of fear and hopelessness i feel every day, i’m consumed by this incurable disorder i can’t escape without dying.

It started when i was twelve, now i’m fifteen. At first it was just static but only went downhill from there. I’ve developed visual vortexes, phosphenes, migraines, strong afterimages, blind spots, flashes of light, floaters, massive black rings, and shaking vision. If it’s gotten this severe in only three years, how bad will it be when i reach adulthood ??? I‘m so scared of the future and i don’t know what to do anymore, i can’t continue living off of distractions and unhealthy habits. I’m desperate for help or even just someone to relate to, if anyone has any advice or feels the same way i do, please share ☹️☹️☹️

I've had my ears checked and they say there's nothing wrong so I can only assume it's brain related. Anytime I sit still I feel like I'm on a boat or like the Earth is shifting out from under me. I believe it's related to the eyes seeing constant motion that doesn't match up with the body's movement. Anyone else experience this? Is there anything that could help?

Visual & Auditory Symptoms:
Visual snow (permanent static in the visual field)
Severe floaters
Afterimages (palinopsia)
Blue field entoptic phenomenon
Nyctalopia (night blindness / poor night vision)
Tinnitus (ringing/buzzing in the ears)
Hyperacusis
Easy startle response
Head & Cognitive Symptoms:
Brain fog (described as a constant "weird, drunk, stoned feeling" or a persistent "high" sensation in the head)
Severe mental fatigue and sleepiness focused in the head
Constant pressure and tension in the temples
Sinus pressure
Cervical Spine (Neck) Symptoms:
Neck crepitus (sensation of "sand or gravel" grinding when moving the neck)
Neck pain specifically when tilting the head backward (cervical extension)
Severe morning stiffness and body pain upon waking up, which improves with movement
Respiratory Symptoms:
Severe, permanent nasal obstruction (nearly 100% blocked nose 24/7)
History of severe sleep apnea (AHI 30, currently managed under 5 with CPAP)
Chronic allergic rhinitis and rebound congestion from Otrivin nasal spray abuse
Environmental Triggers & Patterns:
All symptoms worsen significantly in visually stimulating environments (supermarkets, large stores, crowded places)

Symptoms feel more intense and noticeable during days off / at rest, but feel relatively better while actively moving and working me

Hello All,

I have been diagnosed with VSS by a neuro-ophthalmologist (remotely) - after MRI and visual diagnostic tests and OCT scans were normal. My symptoms started December 2025 - following eye abrasion and reaction to prescribed in error glaucoma eye drops and eye dilations / eventually iridotomy laser surgery to treat narrow angles. I had "normal" eyesight prior to this (other than needing glasses). Been told by glaucoma ophthalmologist that I don't have glaucoma or dye eye - so told me to stop using these eye drops even though high/volatile (18 to 36 when monitored) eye pressures since the above events (thicker corneas).

My list of visual symptoms (and some none visual symptoms) is very long and are constant and progressively worsening which is very distressing. Some of my symptoms include:

- Trembling-shaking

- Dimming (need lights on and windows open)

- Many Floaters

- Very poor night vision (black/darkness)

- Patchiness/fuzziness

- Flashing-flickering

- Flashing closed eyes

- Very bad Visual Stress and contrast issues

- Sore aching/dry eyes and head tension pain all around - headaches (especially triggered in dark and dimmer places and bright light)

- Neck pain and body stiffness -numbness

- Brain fog

- Fatigue

- Slow motion and juddery

- Blurriness

(1) Can all above symptoms be VSS? Consultants are sayings that these symptoms are not eye pressure related (low or high pressures). Prescribed dye eye drops do very little to help.

(2) Can cranialsacrial therapy help? Do you have any experience of this treatment?

Ive had VSS and Palinopsia for 5 years but I notice I'll get a similar thing with Audio as my vision too this year.

I have been slowly getting more symptoms this past year, I have had eye floaters for about 5 years now and about a year ago I started getting flashing lights in my vision like streaks and dots. It’s been slowly getting worse. I have very strong BFEP I can see it in my phone, computer, tv, even on walls. I feel like a lot of my visual disturbances happen in my peripheral vision, I see a lot of black flurries and squiggly stuff possibly some sort of static. It is horrible if I am in a room where it is bright and plain walls, my vision will start going crazy. Some days are better than others though. When I am in direct sunlight for longer than 5 minutes I get the vortex in my vision. I feel like the only symptom I don’t have is complete static in my vision 24/7. I have been to the eye doctor multiple times in the past year and swear my eyes are healthy as can be besides needing to wear glasses (which I do) I do get migraines and see a neurologist for them and she thinks the symptoms are most likely unrelated and has referred me to a nuro-ophthalmologist.

I have really bad static now... idk when exactly it started getting bad as ive had some visual snow since 2013.

I got off prozac (SSRI) after 10 yrs recently and I never thought it as related to the static.

A few days ago, my doctor started me back on a serotonin drug (Mirtazipine) and my static looks different whenever I take it. A bit more organized static sometimes, sometimes the static flickers, etc.

So theres definitely a connection for some people, like me.

I am thinking its related to ssri withdrawal, my brain is probably used to the serotonin from prozac for 10 years and it malfunctions cuz the serotonin is gone.