# Visual snow



## Who_Am_I (May 19, 2009)

I've been a 3+ year sufferer of 24/7 DPDR, OCD and Panic disorder.
This somehow set off visual snow, it's like static television when i look at dark surfaces and when I look at bright ones theres just swimming a million somethings around in my vision field.

Does anyone else have this ? I've read there is a correlation with DPDR and panic and this, but have never heard of anyone recovering from it?
If anyone has any information or experience about this and recovering please share, it's like I want to cut my eyes out


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

i think i can relate...

i was looking out my window on a sunny day, uptowards the blue sky, and i could see what could be described as tiny dots of white, moving around in no particular pattern,interweaving in and out of each other.like static.


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## Guest (May 30, 2009)

Who_Am_I said:


> I've been a 3+ year sufferer of 24/7 DPDR, OCD and Panic disorder.
> This somehow set off visual snow, it's like static television when i look at dark surfaces and when I look at bright ones theres just swimming a million somethings around in my vision field.
> 
> Does anyone else have this ? I've read there is a correlation with DPDR and panic and this, but have never heard of anyone recovering from it?
> If anyone has any information or experience about this and recovering please share, it's like I want to cut my eyes out


I have this 24/7 and I actually started a thread about a week ago on it. Ill post you the link and you will be suprised at how I described it to people on this thread when I made it. It was almost exactly how you described it. Here is the link, check out the replies I got, they may help you. :wink:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19284#p166121


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## shaolinbomber (Mar 28, 2009)

have you taken any ssri's? Some prescription meds are known to cause VS.


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## Guest (May 30, 2009)

shaolinbomber said:


> have you taken any ssri's? Some prescription meds are known to cause VS.


yeah ive taken Zoloft, Lexapro, and I currently take Celexa.


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## Who_Am_I (May 19, 2009)

Only took SSRI 4days, so it can't be the case.
Also got memories of it before trying SSRI.

Is this shit permanent?
It's really hard to "distract" your mind from panic, dpdr, philosophical suicide when you got this constant reminder in your vision field...


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## Guest (May 30, 2009)

Who_Am_I said:


> Only took SSRI 4days, so it can't be the case.
> Also got memories of it before trying SSRI.
> 
> Is this shit permanent?
> It's really hard to "distract" your mind from panic, dpdr, philosophical suicide when you got this constant reminder in your vision field...


I dont know if its permanent. But maybe it will go away if our DP ever goes away and we dont feel like we're in a dream anymore.


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## Who_Am_I (May 19, 2009)

Yeah, what I find weird is that this is caused by anxiety > dp dr.
How the fuck can that affect the visual cortex.
How is this symptom in any way going to help you to survive (viewed from evolutionary psychology viewpoint), this only makes you more distracted.
I guess it serves no purpose and just are a result of brain exhaustion?
Kind of like your ears get tinnitus when you listen to loud music for a long time, then decreases after you haven't listened to music for a while...

However I got a low tinnitus 24/7, I've read this is also normal with people who have HPPD and Visual snow.
However, I think mine stems from loud music since age 8 and a metallica concert ;PP


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## Guest (May 30, 2009)

yeah I have NO IDEA what causes this static. :evil:


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## livingnsilence (May 23, 2009)

NumbNeo said:


> i think i can relate...
> 
> i was looking out my window on a sunny day, uptowards the blue sky, and i could see what could be described as tiny dots of white, moving around in no particular pattern,interweaving in and out of each other.like static.


This is actually normal. Everyone who has blood flow to the eyes should be able to see but most people don't notice it. It's called blue field entoptic phenomenon or Scheerer's phenomenon. Basially the red and white bloods cells flowing the the blood vessels in your eyes absorb certain frequencies of light and your brain tries to edit it so you don't see all the red blood cells but the editing process causes the white blood cells to appear as small white dots. And the frequency of blue light makes it the most visable.


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## shaolinbomber (Mar 28, 2009)

VS can only be caused by some kind of damage to inhibitory neurons, either from recreational drug use or script drugs. If you've EVER taken an SSRI then you've been at risk to develop it.

Vs is not caused by DP/DR but DP/Dr can be caused by VS.

It seems that all visual disturbances, dp/dr, tinnitus all stem from the same problematic areas of the brain (visual cortex) People who are vulnerable in this area seem to develop one case or another brought on by an outside chemical thats ingested.


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## Who_Am_I (May 19, 2009)

You who claim braindamage, I need to see serious scientific evidence on this.
Cite som peer reviewed studies please.

I had VS before my 4 days on SSRI, so SSRI did nothing.
I've had tinnitus before DPDR.
Scheerer's phenomenon seems exactly like Visual Snow...hmmm
Maybe it's just that DPDR heighten our sensitivity to a point where we notice it ?
That's why a lot of people with anxiety have it?
Makes sense from a evolutionary point too, that's the most important thing that it really makes biological sense.

The brain damage hypothesis isn't described anywhere, every MRI test done on people with SEVERE Visual Snow/Tinnitus show NO changes in the brain.


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

thanks living n slience. feel a bit beter now, even though i didnt scare me as such, i kind of thought it was cool anywayz(i thought i was seeing energ or some shit...lol)

i have noticed something ages ago though, is my sensitivity to light, but i thought that came from not being out in the sun as much as i used to be. due to working indoors, and not being outside as much like when i was younger.


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## shaolinbomber (Mar 28, 2009)

Who_Am_I said:


> You who claim braindamage, I need to see serious scientific evidence on this.
> Cite som peer reviewed studies please.
> 
> I had VS before my 4 days on SSRI, so SSRI did nothing.
> ...


The "damage" that would be caused is on a molecular level and MRI's would not be able to pick it up. I've acquired many visual disturbances since the last time i dosed MDMA and dp/dr, random bouts of tinnitus, etc. have accompanied the visuals.

p.s. I would not really referr to it as damage but more likely an alteration of sorts that have changed the way your inhibitory neurons filter or dont filter out visual phenomenon that aren't needed.


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