#visual snow

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[chaoticace2005]

Why can’t my brain be like a TV? Turn it off and turn it back on and all this visual snow (and everything else) goes away.

[dianadeadwing]

I just learned not everybody sees the static.

[donutdrawsthings]

It's been one of those days

[singular-ghost-sound]

Not me juST FINDING OUT THAT THERE IS A WHOLE FREAKING COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE ON HERE WHO ALSO HAVE VISUAL SNOW OH MY GOD

For those who don’t know what it is: to put it VERY simply (for me btw. It’s different for everyone but this is my experience) I have a thin layer of what is basically TV static in my vision at all times. Most people tend to get floaters as well as strings of color (the best way to put it for me is like those Mardi Gras beads that you get at parades and festivals and shit)

But anyways. It’s nice to know that there’s others who deal with this shit.

[schizopositivity]

its funny whenever i explain visual snow syndrome to people irl they always ask "so youre seeing it right now?" like yes, i said i always see it so of course im seeing it right now. they also usually ask "how do i look with it?" like how you always look to me lmao, i cant not have visual snow so i cant tell you how you look with it vs without it, i have a filter of moving specs over my vision at all times, its all i know, you dont look "weird" unless you want to clasify literally everything i see as weird.

[puddle-turtle]

living with visual snow just means u never know if it's really raining

[sherwood-cabin]

“your vision outta 20/20 is better than mine, why’re you ranting bout how ‘bad’ your vision is lmao” if I don’t have a nightlight this is what my room looks like after dark

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

npd + visual snow culture is holy shit!! i got a rare disorder im so special and unique! while it literally makes me pretty much useless in darkness

.

[voiddstar]

tinnitus sounds like what visual snow looks like

[thehellsystem]

I've been noticing a lot of misinformation about visual snow syndrome (vss) around Tumblr/TikTok so I wanted to compile a more accurate list of symptoms and other things related to it. I'm not a doctor or studying it in any degree, but I've been diagnosed with visual snow syndrome since I was around thirteen and the process was so filled with medical abuse that it makes me genuinely upset to people spread misinfo about it.

The first thing I want to address is what most people think of when they think of visual snow syndrome: visual snow. Despite popular belief, this is not the only symptom of the disorder. Saying you have vss because you see visual snow is inherently wrong and you need to further educate yourself. The way most images present it is as this:

However, this is incorrect. The static rarely presents itself as still and "normal" as this. It will move around, there will be flashing colors, and everything will appear more saturated, as pictured below.

Because of the flashing lights, movement, and saturation that comes with visual snow syndrome, it can result in chronic migraines, eyestrain, and anxiety. Some people with visual snow syndrome have side effects of depression, but this is more rare. The issue arises when Tumblr or TikTok dumb it down to "Static vision disorder! I have visual snow because I see it in the dark!" Seeing visual snow in the dark is very average, as our eyes are not built to see in full darkness. If you look directly into the sun and your eyes hurt, do you ask yourself if this is because your body has something wrong with it and not because you weren't intended to look directly at the sun? VSS can result in: - Seeing "snow/static" even when your eyes are closed or when it is dark, potentially getting worse when it is dark, sunny, or you're in artifical lighting. - Seeing objects after you've looked away from them (palinopsia) - Being sensitive to light - Having difficulty seeing at night - Seeing images with your eyes closed - Tinnitus - Feeling anxious, depressed, or irritable - Brain fog or trouble concentrating - Insomnia - Migraines with aura - Dizziness or nausea - Depersonalization - Vertigo (Via Cleveland Clinic)

None of these symptoms are a fun trend. I'm chronically disabled because of my vss and experience chronic migraines. There is very little research being done on it, so having a diagnosis rarely results in benefits. Many people idagnosed with visual snow are told that it will "go away" but it is just as likely that it will worsen or not go away at all. The disorder isn't simply "Seeing snow" or "Seeing snow and migraines" it's many, many other things with a history of medical neglect behind them. Please research further into the disorder: Self-diagnosis is great for people who can't advocate for their own diagnosis, or simply don't want one, but with proper research. It will only hurt people with this disability if others continue to act like experts on it with little to no research.

enjoy my super radical post

[frilledshark-enthusiast]

I commit the neurodivergent sin of loving the big light because I have visual snow syndrome and have to strain to see in the dark

[d0vegum]

i genuinely thought i was a cyborg as a kid because i had a thin layer of static over my vision.. turns out it was visual snow which makes it infinitely less cool

[varian-ross-horror-author]

Other people with visual snow, do you have a spot in your vision where the snow is heavier?

[twiniverse]

Hey guys! Quick PSA:

Having a static film over your eyesight is not normal. I try to tell people about this as often as I can because most people don’t realise it’s not normal until someone tells them.

It’s a visual processing disorder called Visual Snow. Not much is known about it because it hasn’t been studied much. Largely because there’s who knows how many people out there who have it and don’t know.

Here‘s some info on what we do know:

Common side effects include frequent headaches/migraines, tinnitus that never goes away, more than the average amount floaters, poor night vision, after images, and light sensitivity.

There are different levels of snow, no two people see the same amount at the same frequency.

Some people say that some medications help relieve symptoms but this is largely anecdotal. (and one of those medications is the one that almost killed me last year so I’m not going to try)

Here’s a link where you can simulate the condition:

https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm

Mine is around a density 0.25, speed 65, grain size 1.

[thatautisticadhdfeel]

Hey, I saw your visual snow syndrome post and I thought I'd share a cool website where you can simulate what it looks like! You can adjust the size of the grain, the density, and the speed. And there are different images to choose from (great for night vs day comparison)

http://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm?background=field.jpg&density=0.11&speed=63&grainsize=1.912

Ooooo I'll have to check it out