Do you see visual snow??

Jaxxy · 08-05-2015 02:58PM

I see visual snow all the time! It's actually a great migraine early warning system for me. I suffer from migraine with aura and about fifteen minutes before the pain hits the snow will intensify.

ThisRegard · 08-05-2015 03:10PM

NegativeCreep wrote: »

Yeah I have that visual snow things too. Thought everyone had it tbh! Also have that kaleidoscope visual effect thing when I close my eyes at night. When I was a kid sometimes the colours used to arrange themselves into scary images which was terrifying! Good to know I'm not alone on that ha.

Ha, same here, thought it was normal.

I do enjoy lying down and getting the kaleidoscope fractal patterns though, they can be quite cool.

Also get the halos on street lights, and am night blind too but I think that's a side affect of laser eye surgery as I'm only affected if I'm in a room and the lights are turned off. Eventually they adjust but pretty slowly.

Kingp35 · 08-05-2015 04:24PM

Ted Talk about it.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-are-those-floaty-things-in-your-eye-michael-mauser

ScumLord · 08-05-2015 04:42PM

No I see unicorns. Maybe you're just not taking enough of the drug.

dont bother · 08-05-2015 05:04PM

you're high OP, go home!

Saralee4 · 08-05-2015 05:12PM

Yes op I see this too! I also thought as a child that I was seeing in detail the atoms and electrons in the air. :-s

frozenfrozen · 08-05-2015 05:20PM

I get all of these things. it's like I'm at 800 iso on a ****ty aps-c sensor all damn day. Awful sensitive to light too, and instant nausia with strobic things. Sun is shining and there are trees making the light flicker, here you go have a migraine. my eye noise doesn't go away ever though, it's always there, and most light sources bloom because of a tiny astigmatism in my left eye.

I'm ocularly retarded

Flood · 09-05-2015 03:39AM

Yes

silverfeather · 09-05-2015 03:43AM

Jaxxy wrote: »

I see visual snow all the time! It's actually a great migraine early warning system for me. I suffer from migraine with aura and about fifteen minutes before the pain hits the snow will intensify.

I have actually heard of that. I don't see it though. I don't really get migraines.

DavyD_83 · 10-05-2015 03:45PM

--LOS-- wrote: »

The cognitive stuff is a bit hard to figure out because I'd attribute that to other things.

I don't drive but for me when a car is coming towards you at night with dim headlights on, I have to completely turn away, it's like someone is shining a torch right in my eyes, usually I'm cursing them that they didn't have their dimmers on until the person driving tells me they did.

The nightblindness makes sense because the snow really comes out in the dark. I don't know how that woman finds white walls soothing on her eyes though, I would find the opposite.

Do you have artistic ability Davy?

Nope, pretty much zero artistic talent. I'm too analytical to be creative

I do like colours.
The night blindness is unrelated as far as I know, but the 'snow' just seems to make it worse after a while cos i can't tell the snow from the little bit of light i can make out. I think after lil while I'm dark my eyes and brain just stop trying

10-05-2015 03:48PM

I didn't know this was a thing
yeah I get it
mostly/especially when I'm tired
I spent a lot of time wondering about it as a kid
I think if I'm fully rested and awake during the day I wouldn't notice or would forget about it
the tinnitus is very infrequent also though i used to have both of them more as a kid

Magnate · 10-05-2015 04:06PM

bluewolf wrote: »

I didn't know this was a thing
yeah I get it
mostly/especially when I'm tired
I spent a lot of time wondering about it as a kid
I think if I'm fully rested and awake during the day I wouldn't notice or would forget about it
the tinnitus is very infrequent also though i used to have both of them more as a kid

Me neither, I've always wondered about it too.

Although I'm still not certain if I have it or something else. I have great vision but when I consciously think about it and look into space without focusing my eyes on anything, my vision appears "pixilated" but still perfectly clear at the same time if that makes sense.

What does everyone else see when they close their eyes, or when they're in a really dark room? That's when I notice it the most. Does everyone see just black or can do they see loads of minuscule white/multicoloured dots on a black background?

I probably sound like I'm describing something awful but really I don't notice it unless I'm consciously thinking about it, I still see perfectly.

Magnate · 10-05-2015 04:16PM

Kingp35 wrote: »

Ted Talk about it.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-are-those-floaty-things-in-your-eye-michael-mauser

That's a different thing altogether, I have visual snow and but get floaters sometimes too.

Schwiiing · 10-05-2015 04:20PM

I get it a lot if I look at something with a white background eg clouds or Boards with the white skin.

10-05-2015 04:24PM

Magnate wrote: »

Me neither, I've always wondered about it too.

Although I'm still not certain if I have it or something else. I have great vision but when I consciously think about it and look into space without focusing my eyes on anything, my vision appears "pixilated" but still perfectly clear at the same time if that makes sense.

What does everyone else see when they close their eyes, or when they're in a really dark room? That's when I notice it the most. Does everyone see just black or can do they see loads of minuscule white/multicoloured dots on a black background?

I probably sound like I'm describing something awful but really I don't notice it unless I'm consciously thinking about it, I still see perfectly.

Ah yeah worse in the dark

Aidric · 10-05-2015 04:50PM

Jaxxy wrote: »

I see visual snow all the time! It's actually a great migraine early warning system for me. I suffer from migraine with aura and about fifteen minutes before the pain hits the snow will intensify.

I'm not sure 'visual snow' is the same as what you are referring to. As others have said they are more dots of bright light on your vision when you get up too quickly for example.

I know when a migraine is coming on it is a different experience, usually with a heavy blurriness in your vision in one eye before spreading to both eyes and then the horrible onset of piercing headache.

Magnate · 10-05-2015 05:31PM

Aidric wrote: »

I'm not sure 'visual snow' is the same as what you are referring to. As others have said they are more dots of bright light on your vision when you get up too quickly for example.

That's definitely not visual snow, visual snow is a constant 24/7 thing, it may intensify for others before migraines I don't know but getting up too quickly is different, that's just just headrush from low blood pressure.

kfallon · 10-05-2015 05:40PM

Migraine vision, looks a bit like this, get it often after sport/exercise

http://static.neatorama.com/misscellania/migraine.jpg

MrWalsh · 10-05-2015 06:12PM

This is quite like what the ocular migraine is like for me although I get it on the right side.

10-05-2015 06:23PM

Just googled ocular migraine there as I thought they sounded like what I get but apparently when there's pain it's called an aura migraine. Man they're just the most horrendous thing. I just suddenly cannot see properly and have these spirally things in the corners of my eyes. Nothing feels real. If I don't take medication immediately I end up unable to function from pain. Thankfully I usually recognise it instantly and so just end up with a dull throb/ache.

I've never heard of the snow phenomenon- that's mad.

bee06 · 10-05-2015 06:24PM

I don't have virtual snow but always have the floaters. I have very bad eye sight. I've had one ocular migraine a few years ago and it was quite scary when I didn't know what was happening. I had an appointment with an optamologist a few weeks after and explained it. Haven't had one since though.

bodhi085 · 10-05-2015 06:28PM

I remember as a boy I used to see blue and red dots when it was either dark or my eyes closed. Sometimes I used to see the dots form a square grid which would kind of feel like they were coming towards me, then disappear. Still not sure what caused it or what it was but I used to love it.

MrWalsh · 10-05-2015 06:33PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Just googled ocular migraine there as I thought they sounded like what I get but apparently when there's pain it's called an aura migraine. Man they're just the most horrendous thing. I just suddenly cannot see properly and have these spirally things in the corners of my eyes. Nothing feels real. If I don't take medication immediately I end up unable to function from pain. Thankfully I usually recognise it instantly and so just end up with a dull throb/ache.

I've never heard of the snow phenomenon- that's mad.

Yeah I don't get a headache with it although I do often feel hot and "blood pressurey" with it.

Occasionally I would get a headache a few hours later but usually I'd just feel worn out after and a bit nauseated. Plus my vision would be odd, colours too bright etc... I'd generally need sleep to feel ok again.

They don't really happen anymore since I swapped pill. Maybe once in 2 years I'd get one. It had become once every 2 or 3 months. I just thought it was a natural part of the human condition, like hiccups or something! It was a complete accident I mentioned it to my doctor.

Magnate · 10-05-2015 08:23PM

bodhi085 wrote: »

I remember as a boy I used to see blue and red dots when it was either dark or my eyes closed. Sometimes I used to see the dots form a square grid which would kind of feel like they were coming towards me, then disappear. Still not sure what caused it or what it was but I used to love it.

Yeah it was the same for me when I was younger, it was a lot more severe and I practically hallucinated at night. Do you still see the dots when you close your eyes?

Bongalongherb · 10-05-2015 08:30PM

--LOS-- wrote: »

Hello after hours. Do you see visual snow?

I only found out the other day that not everyone sees visual snow :eek: and it's blowing my mind a bit because I've seen it for as long as I can remember and it's all I know. It's quite strange to try to imagine not seeing it along with all the other stuff that can accompany it like BFEP.

This gives you some idea what visual snow is like but I would describe it as like seeing visual noise, dense tiny dots pulsating across your whole field of view reminiscent of television static, especially noticeable on large blank areas and really exaggerated in the dark but always there, eyes open or shut. It's hard to even say what colour it is, there's also a lot of afterimages so you're aware of this constant static mixed with flashes from the afterimages.

As a child I used to think my eyesight was almost too good that I was seeing details that were less noticeable to everyone else so it didn't bother them. I used to think the BFEP, like this, was seeing the individual particles that make up things like little electrons whizzing around Anyways all of it bugged the ****ing hell out of me, made me very anxious, but I never said it to anyone because I just felt that everyone was like this but somehow it didn't bother them. But the worst part was the closed eye hallucinations, going to sleep and there's a kaleidoscope happening behind your eyelids which was terrifying, it was like you could get no break from it, just constant visual stimulation, a lot of times I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed at night because it would be the same crazy sh1t either way, that turned into paranoia about being blind or going blind. When I think back to that time now it was truly torturous. The kaleidoscope stuff seemed to fade away as I got older, I think I just got used to the rest of the stuff that it's not something that really bothers me. I had nearly forgotten about how bad the hallucinatory looking stuff was until I was looking up something about photophobia which is what mostly bothers me (also related). Then I crossed this other stuff and it's weird how many symptoms I can check off.

Not sure if I now wish I never came across it in case I start paying more attention to it -_-

So does anyone see visual snow? And if you don't does everything look flat and still for you :eek: Like when you look at a solid dark colour, it's just dark??? And what do you see when you close your eyes?

That's very interesting. I could always see that white noise like snow. I didn't think much of it at the time but I was always curious as to why I was seeing it. Yes it looks like the white noise snow on a blank tv channel. You just made me think of it again there as I haven't seen it for the last 2 years, but I always could see it before that for years.

It's a strange one though. It looked like thousands of white electrons buzzing all over my field of view.

Oh, one more thing. I used to stay awake for 2 days without sleep a few years ago working on repairing electronic equipment and I always noticed that this snow visual would be much more enhanced while relaxing and just looking into nothingness. Basically it was a lot more noticeable when I had lack of sleep, but I could still see it even when I had proper days of sleep.

Magnate · 10-05-2015 09:01PM

Found a great picture that basically shows what I see when I close my eyes.

Link

A few differences though; the dots are a lot smaller, much more dense and a lot sharper, also it's more black than purple. It's hard to tell what colour they are too, either they change, they're multicoloured like the pic or they're all white.

10-05-2015 09:04PM

Magnate wrote: »

Found a great picture that basically shows what I see when I close my eyes.

Link

A few differences though; the dots are a lot smaller, much more dense and a lot sharper, also it's more black than purple. It's hard to tell what colour they are too, either they change, they're multicoloured like the pic or they're all white.

all white yea

MrWalsh · 10-05-2015 09:11PM

Magnate wrote: »

Found a great picture that basically shows what I see when I close my eyes.

Link

A few differences though; the dots are a lot smaller, much more dense and a lot sharper, also it's more black than purple. It's hard to tell what colour they are too, either they change, they're multicoloured like the pic or they're all white.

Great pic, that's what I see too but more of a uniform orangey colour.

Magnate · 10-05-2015 09:14PM

bluewolf wrote: »

all white yea

Could you try something a little weird and see if it works for you? It might be easier to see if you already have visual snow. You'll need to be in a dark room.

Hold your two index fingers like this and bring your fingertips together. Try and let your eyes relax and stare into the space between them. Then slowly bring them about 5cm apart and very slowly move them ever so slightly around.

It's really weird, I can see a very feint white light as if my two fingertips are being connected by a piece of string. It looks like a concentration of visual snow, that's the best way to describe it. Where it gets really weird is when I take one finger and try to wrap the "string" around the other one, I can feel a tingly sensation as if it's actually there.

What's also strange is that if I slow bring my fingertips between say 2 - 8cm apart I can expand and condense the amount of visual snow.

I must sound completely cuckoo to most of AH right about now but I'm wondering if people with visual snow can see this too?

bodhi085 · 10-05-2015 09:16PM

Magnate wrote: »

Yeah it was the same for me when I was younger, it was a lot more severe and I practically hallucinated at night. Do you still see the dots when you close your eyes?

I can't say I notice but after reading this thread I tried it and yes it's still there. It must be that I'm not looking for it as much as I've gotten older,but it has fascinated me all over. It certainly is strange.
The picture in the link is exactly it.

Do you see visual snow??

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