#433 ohCRICKETS

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Normal vision (no snow/static), 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Abnormal vision, 2007. "In this picture I included the snow, double vision, blind spot [scotoma], random speck of bright light, and a sensation of light in the bottom left part of my vision, which is also where the specks and blind spots are most apparent." The triangle-shaped coloured flashing scotoma is "the effect I see often in the left side of my vision... mostly in the same spot... I think the best way I can describe it is like taking a photograph (the photo in this case being my vision) and then taking a lighter behind it and watching a hole burn into the picture." © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"1. Name or screen name (optional): ohCRICKETS

2. Email (optional):

3. Location (optional): USA

4. Age: 21

5. Sex: Male

6. Nationality and Race (optional): Caucasian (Romanian/German)

7. Do you have classic migraine (migraine with aura) or common migraine (migraine without aura)? When did it begin?

I used to, mostly while in school, since an early age. Both with and without aura. I had my first scintillating scotoma in 3rd grade, and would get one every year or two.

8. What do you take for your classic or common migraine and does it help?

Any pain-reliever I can get my hands on, and only as far as pain.

9. Have you been diagnosed with persistent aura (prolonged migraine aura status)?

I'm too poor to see a doctor who'd even bother with a proper diagnosis.

10. What is your visual problem and how long does it last?

Eye pain, double vision, static/snow mostly when tired, seeing 'stars', floaters, negative afterimages, positive trails, hallucinations before falling asleep, random blind spots/negative areas, flashes of light.

11. Any other problems that you think might be related?

Dizziness, derealization.

12. What do you take or do for your vision problem and does it help?

I take multivitamins, B-12, Omega-3. It seems to help with making the snow less noticeable and feeling healthier overall.

13. Have you found a trigger for your vision problem?

14. What tests have you had and the results?

None.

15. Drug history (pre VS):

Tried marijuana 3-4 times when I was 19, started drinking when I turned 21. I was prescribed Xanax when I was in 7th grade for anxiety attacks, and Zoloft when I was in 12th also for general anxiety disorder, but I didn't really take much of either. I also use night-time cough syrup to help me sleep sometimes.

16. Drug history (post VS - effect on VS - negative, positive, not at all):

Alcohol - Takes my mind off the problems, only makes them worse the next day if I drank too much.

17. Do you have a positive family history for migraine? If yes, who is affected?

I'm not sure, my family isn't savvy in the medical/scientific aspect of anything, and I though I know various family members have had bad headaches, they never mentioned any aura or other migraine symptoms.

It was mostly my mother's side of the family. My mom would say she had them [frequent bad headaches], and so did my grandmother.

18. Other information you want to provide?

My problems all began on Mother's Day 2007 after drinking alot and not sleeping until the afternoon the next day, then having a 2 day hangover. My mother died in February 2007 so I was particularly upset and trying to deal with it."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Sticky - Sofia Greene's survey about persistent visual disturbances, September 3, 2007)

The chronology of the onset of this 2nd episode of persistent aura is described in detail in the following post:

"May 13, 2007 (Mother's Day) - drinking alot of alcohol, not sleeping until afternoon next day

May 14, 2007 – afternoon – sleeping (went to sleep again between 12 a.m. - 3 a.m. May 15, 2007)

May 14/May 15, 2007 - While trying to recover from my hangover, I was vomiting heavily and non-stop, and felt dizzy and 'out of it'. That night, I would lay in bed waiting to fall asleep, and every time I closed my eyes, I'd see black and white images of things I didn't remember looking at. It was... either a negative or black and white vision of my room, or a hallucination of something similar to a room, which is why I could feel like I was still looking around my room although my eyes were closed. My night vision also became worse, mostly because my eyes constantly felt like I had 'snow blindness', so whether my eyes were open or closed, my mind couldn't tell the difference.

May 16, 2006 - and the next day I still felt abnormal and noticed TV static all over my vision."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Welcome New Members - Suffering in silence - September 4, 2007)

"It has been persistent 24/7, though sometimes waning, but always there. While trying to recover from my hangover, I was vomiting heavily and non-stop, and felt dizzy and 'out of it'. At night, I would lay in bed waiting to fall asleep, and every time I closed my eyes, I'd see black and white images of things I didn't remember looking at. They were similar to like an old moving picture (movie). My night vision also became worse, and the next day I still felt abnormal and noticed TV static all over my vision. It's hard to explain, but every time I had my eyes closed, it felt like they were still open and I was looking around the room, [seeing] the current environment or a fabricated one, yes. This just happened at night while very fatigued and anxious. For the following week as a result of the symptoms I was having recurrent and almost debilitating panic attacks. For the first couple months, within hours after waking up, whenever I'd turn my head quickly, I'd lose my vision for a split second and see stationary blue 'cheetah spots' all over until the vision returned. I haven't had any of the usual symptoms of migraine, and it's been continuing strong so I realized quickly it was something more serious."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Welcome New Members - Suffering in silence - September 3 and 4, 2007)

"No, [I had] nothing like this [as a transitory symptom before May 13, 2007]. I've only had the classic migraine aura before. Some of the feelings in my eyes are similar to a sinus infection, and lack of sleep, though I don't think either is the case, and migraine is usually more distinct and easy to identify than what I have now."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Welcome New Members - Suffering in silence - September 3 and 4, 2007)

"I CONSTANTLY feel fatigued, and almost like I lack the sensation of awareness and focus. I just keep telling myself 'its derealization' and its 'normal', but it still worries me. I kinda get that same pressure in the head feeling, but lately its been focused mostly on the left side of my head, which is scaring me.

Its like the sensation that my brain is all burnt out, like a half-asleep feeling but from the moment I wake up till I fall asleep again. If I zone out too much, I'll suddenly have the sensation that I'm falling then snap out of it."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Welcome New Members - does anyone else have fatigue - September 9, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Retinal vasculature pattern, 2007. "Here's a close resemblance to what I was able to see." © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"I may have hallucinated once that I was actually seeing the blood vessels on my retina and watching the individual cells streaming through a network of webbed tubes while my eyes were closed. Strange thing is, I think I could only see it when my left eye was the one with my hand over it."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Retinal Vasculature in the Mornings, September 9, 2007)

Speaking of the triangle-shaped purple-ish, darkish scotoma depicted in the illustration above, ohCRICKETS reported: "That's the effect I see often in the left side of my vision that is similar to seeing a bright light then looking away, but it appears mostly in the same spot regardless if I was looking at any lights or not. I think the best way I can describe it is like taking a photograph (the photo in this case being my vision) and then taking a lighter behind it and watching a hole burn into the picture."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - VS Images for Ksomething, September 9, 2007)

"It's just an example of the sort of thing I see occasionally, especially after blinking, but isn't caused by any lights. Its not a scintillating scotoma, it's like a burnt spot on my retina, but with no reason to be there. It's like the opposite of seeing a flash of light.

It might be permanent, but it's not always noticeable. Mostly just against a white background or my glowing computer screen and if I'm looking for it. Sometimes for a minute or so it'll be plain as day. It's not noticeably dynamic, just kinda flashes in and out as I blink, and doesn't get noticeably larger or smaller, and its usually in the same place whenever I see it happen.

I mean, its like what you see after looking at a bright light then close your eyes, but with no definite shape except usually a round 'cloud'."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - VS Images for Ksomething, September 11, 13 and 15, 2007)

"Though I do suspect I have multiple blind spots in my vision, especially if I'm reading text on my computer screen, and there appears to be a space between letters that I see through my peripheral area, but when I turn my eyes to look at the spot I saw the space, there are letters there."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - VS Images for Ksomething, September 11, 2007)

"I seem to have been getting this problem more than usual. I dunno if it has any connection with visual disturbances or vascular problems in the brain, but its got me concerned. I know sudden changes in heart rhythm are normal, but when it happens, I feel like I just got kicked in the chest and had the breath knocked out of me."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Heart Palpitations/Shortness of Breath, September 11, 2007)

"Yeah, I have generalized anxiety disorder, so I'm pretty much stressed out non-stop unless my brain is totally focused on something really distracting. It happens more often when I've had coffee."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Heart Palpitations/Shortness of Breath, September 12, 2007)

"I've never been checked by anyone but a GP. It was a doctor my mom took me to a few times who diagnosed me with GAD around the time I was 17, after I had a major episode where I felt like my entire world just dissolved and I lost my mind and couldn't sleep or eat or go to school. That lasted for about 2 weeks.

The anxiety lasted 2 weeks, during which the only perceptual problem I had was derealization and a sort of 'desensation' and lightheadedness.

I'd love to see a cardiologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist... I just don't really know how or how to afford it."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Heart Palpitations/Shortness of Breath, September 13 and 15, 2007)

"I find video games take my mind off my visual problems and my derealization problems, because I got so involved and focused on the gameplay and graphics, I'm part of the virtual perception, and no longer my own flawed perception."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Visually Impaired Benefit From Video Games, September 14, 2007)

"- Anxiety
- Depression
- Depersonalisation/Derealisation (feeling of spaceiness - disconnected from reality and your personality)
- Visual Snow (fuzzy like a poor tv picture)
- Visual Floaters (those weird organisms you can see when you look at the sky)
- Occasional Flashing Lights (some times blue or yellow)
- Flat or 2D visual perception (depth perception problems)
- Things appear to move in the corners of your eyes
- Confusion
- Things appear to move to fast or slightly blurred / blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Ringing ears
- Feeling like your head is moving around
- Feeling of your limbs dissapear or swap over
- Inabillity to concentrate or complete/solve simple tasks.
- Problems focusing
- Achey eyes
- Insomnia
- Pains in head
- Tiredness
- Inability to express myself, voice feels restricted and croaky when I try to talk to people. My soul does not flow as it should."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Ezboard forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - vs and related symptoms interpreted as Kundalini awakening, September 15, 2007)

"I have double vision in one eye sometimes, too. Not sure what that's about."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], , Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Double Vision in One Eye, October 6, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], "I was just looking in the mirror...", 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], "I kept my eyes glued on the mirror while I turned my head to the right and I saw a... phosphene slowly form on the right side of the mirror", 2007. "The farther I turned my head, the wider it got, as though something were pressing farther into my eye. This is as good as I can recreate it. Just keep your eyes where indicated to get a feel of how I explained it. The center of the second picture would be what is in your periphery." © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"I was just looking in the mirror, and I kept my eyes glued on the mirror while I turned my head to the right and I saw a pressure phosphene slowly form on the right side of the mirror. I call it a pressure phosphene because I'm not sure what else it would be called. The farther I turned my head, the wider it got, as though something were pressing farther into my eye.

You're in your bathroom, and your medicine cabinet above the sink has a mirror on the front. You're looking at your face in the mirror, while turning your head to the right as though you're about to walk away, but you're still staring at your face. And the more you turn, the more an 'impression' similar to say... a water dimple, slowly grows in the area of your vision to the right of the mirror, over the white wall the cabinet is on. You don't have to turn your eyes to see it, you're still staring directly at the reflection with them. And then you turn your head back to the same direction your eyes are pointed, and it slowly recedes into nothing, returning to the depths of Hell from which it was spawned."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - I just discovered something, October 9, 2007)

"Yeah, [it's] usually [with] 'extreme' [eye movement], but nothing FORCED to the point I notice it. It's something I've never seen happen in my life. It hurts when I turn my eyes all the way in any direction, which I also don't remember being normal."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - I just discovered something, October 27, 2007)

"For me, it's [i.e. depersonalisation-derealisation] like the feeling that I'm not my body, but just seeing things through it. I don't feel 'alive' anymore. It's just a series of sensations and visions and sleeping and more sensations, etc."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Is this DP/DR?, October 11, 2007; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"My DR/DP doesn't seem to be separable from my normal mode of perception. I could fight it better if I could isolate it, but its so integrated with everything, it's like I don't even know where to begin separating normal feelings and perceptions from the abnormal and pathogenic."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - How do we snap out of DP/DR?, October 14, 2007)

"Owww... It's been a while since I've had a classic migraine, and this one is a monster. The left side of my head wants to split from the other side. What are some good ways of fighting off a serious migraine?"

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Migraine, October 14, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Normal vision, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Abnormal vision, 2007. "Trying to portray trails, snow, afterimages, retinal 'burns', and halos that I encounter while looking at a monitor at night. Not perfect, but close." The column-like images at the left- and right-hand margin are "what I see if I quickly turn my eyes away from the screen, but not completely. It's either a compressed after-image, or just the image of the edge of the screen closest to the side I turned my eyes from." © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"Trying to portray trails, snow, afterimages, retinal 'burns', and halos that I encounter while looking at a monitor at night. Not perfect, but close."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Bored, so... new pictures, October 17, 2007)

"It seems like for most of the time since I've gotten VS my eyes themselves have felt strange. Like a vibrating, twitching, popping feeling. Also, it sometimes feels like my eyes are about to burst. Not sure how to describe it, but it keeps feeling like something is going on inside my eyes or around my eyes or something."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Eye Issues, October 19, 2007)

"Yeah, my periphery shakes and wobbles."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Shaky vision, October 19, 2007)

The shaking and wobbling (autokinesis) is "Something between persistent and attacks. Sometimes its very noticable, and sometimes I'll have to stop and stare and try to notice if it's there. I think this began around the same time everything else has. It's more noticeable in well lit areas."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - ohCRICKETS, October 21, 2007)

"It seems the longer this goes on without me being able to see a doctor who can help rule out everything else, the more I worry and panic about the possibility of having a brain tumor or some other relatable disease. If I had a tumor that was serious enough to cause me to have eye/visual problems and occasional headaches, would there also be other persistant problems that'd indicate I had one. Like, would I feel sick enough to KNOW right away?"

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Pers. Migraine VS Tumor/MS/etc, October 21, 2007)

"My headaches are usually near the end of the day. The 'aura' is what I have from the moment I wake up."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Pers. Migraine VS Tumor/MS/etc, October 21, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Eyes open in dark room, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Then after eyes shut, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"Seeing with my eyes closed. Sounds like what happens whenever I close my eyes. Except when I still see the images I was just looking at, it's in black and white."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Seeing with my eyes closed, October 21, 2007)

"This was most severe the night before/during the onset of all the problems. While trying to sleep, I'd still see images of my room or whatever I was looking at before every time I opened then closed my eyes.

I'll attempt to recreate it in an image. First is eyes open in dark room (for the sake of the situation described), then after eyes shut [negative afterimage].

It's usually most noticeable while watching TV or if its very sunny outside. When I close my eyes, whatever I was looking at will remain in my vision without color, except maybe a shade of bluish or violet tint. Sometimes I can notice its negative, sometimes it just seems black and white."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - ohCRICKETS, October 22 and 23, 2007; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"If I kept my eyes closed, they'd usually slowly fade over a period of 10-20 seconds. Or if I blinked a few times, that'd usually 'reset' everything."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - ohCRICKETS, October 23, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Visual snow and afterimages, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"This is if I were the camera.

The normal image is what I would be looking at, then the afterimages are what I see the split moment I shift my vision. There is also the graininess I normally experience in any vision, as well as the negative 'glow' I see around most objects, as I believe is a result of the normal twitches the eyes perform to 'refresh' visual information to the brain."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Bored, so... new pictures, October 23, 2007)

"I have (what so far I assume is) DP/DR primarily every second of every day.

I'd like to know what the prospects of electro-therapy 'correcting' this would be. I'm so desperate, I just want to shock my brain until it somehow gets back on track. Or at least until I forget that there's even something wrong with me and am no longer bothered by all this."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Visual snow doesn't bother me any more!, October 23, 2007)

"If I can't have my sight back to normal, I'd at least like to be able to know what its like to FEEL normal again. Its the same every day. No matter how close everything is, it feels far away. I feel 'zoned out' and I can't snap out of it. If I don't move my arms, they begin to feel like they aren't even there. My body parts don't even feel like they're part of me anymore. I no longer feel like I'm seeing through my own eyes, but sitting behind them and looking through them like windows to a room in my head."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - What would you be willing to do to be cured?, October 23, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Polyopia (triplopia), 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS

"I can't even see the details of the moon anymore."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Trails from the Moon, October 24, 2007)

"This is exactly how the moon normally appears to me on a clear night. This is without trailing."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Trails from the Moon, October 24, 2007)

"I've always been an anxious person, yeah. I've also been a person with no one to help me or support me or share my problems with so I'll do anything I can to get some sort of affirmation and get people to understand what I go through so they can judge it better.

I've dealt with anxiety all my life, so when I say something is more physiological than psycho, I can say so from experience. Most psychological problems I've had, I can simply snap out of if I try. This is something completely different. It feels like my brain is decaying and my eyes are constantly on the verge of exploding, and I wake up every day to find its still there, it hasn't changed, and I still can't get rid of it. And now I can't tell where the problem ends and the anxiety begins."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - attn ohCRICKETS, October 27, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Polyopia 1, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Polyopia 2, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Polyopia 3, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"I've noticed that most of you describe your trails to be a little different from mine. When I see trails, they are usually in frames, and not a stream. If I'm looking at the television or a light, and move my eyes to look at something else, I'll see the image of the TV screen or light source skipping into separate images trailing away in order."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Trails, October 27, 2007)

"Here are a few pictures [of polyopia] I didn't even have to manipulate with Photoshop. used a delayed exposure on my camera. The major difference between the photos and my vision is my vision has less frames in the trailing. Imagine about 5-6 copies instead of the number in the images. The pictures also show that less contrast = more smooth streaming. So, high contrast (such as light emitting sources) = separate frames, and low contrast (such as white objects) = smooth trails."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Trails, October 28, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Corona phenomenon, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"Here are some more examples of things I've noticed."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 29, 2007)

"The text does have a pink blur bleeding into the blackness around it, but no shadows, but I see the 'shadows' too just so you know."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 30, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Black background, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS

"And here's something I want you to try. If you have a white cursor, move it around in this black space but just focuse on the middle of it as you do, paying attention to the cursor moving around."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 29, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Looking at moving cursor, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS

"Now, does it look like this?"

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 29, 2007)

"With the cursor, all I get is the obvious white cloud that follows behind the cursor at the same distance and speed.

When I stop moving the cursor, the cloud catches up and quickly shrinks inside the cursor until its no longer noticeable. It's a (spot, cloud, blur), not the exact shape of the cursor, but the size of course does seem to be affected by the shape of the cursor."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 30, 2007)

"I'll try again later tonight, but when I did the monocular test, it seems that its almost the same in both eyes, but less noticeable in one eye as opposed to both together."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 30, 2007)

"If I move my cursor slowly, I start to see the white blur form behind the cursor, then when I start moving it faster, the blur gets larger and stays farther behind it."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 31, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Looking at non-moving cursor, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS

"Without movement [i.e. looking at the stationary, non-moving cursorsubject #433], it appears normal, besides the afterimages that result from involuntary eye movement."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, October 31, 2007)

"Here's a simple version of what this would look like. The 'shadow' is the negative afterimage, and the blur is the positive, which is usually less 'in focus'. I see negative images easier than positive, the positive usually being more obvious with moving objects and images or quickly closing my eyes.

I think when I have a headache there is a clearer polyopic trail with movement."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, November 2, 2007)

"If I sit and stare at something for a while, I start to feel like I'm falling backwards. I also have the feeling that things are farther away from me than they really are."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - "The Earthquake" hallucination, November 1, 2007)

"I believe it has been almost a daily feeling.

Especially when sitting in front of my computer, unless I'm into a game or something, I have the creeping feeling that my screen is receding away from me. It also makes it difficult when I'm driving. I also have less feeling of 'depth' from my environment, like everything is becoming 2-dimensional."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - "The Earthquake" hallucination, November 2, 2007)

"Usually when I wake up, I don't even want to open my eyes, because I know I'll see the snow and spots. I also hate waking up and still feeling like I'm in a dream for the rest of the day."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - "The Earthquake" hallucination, November 2, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Sudden loss of vision, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"Since I can't sleep, I decided to work on making a picture showing what happens time to time, usually at least once a day. It clears up as soon as it appears, and usually happens if I move my head quickly. Sometimes it obscures my entire vision with static and bright blue-ish dots."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, November 3, 2007)

"It happens instantaneously, and doesn't seem to be related to the normal 'snow' I see. Its like momentarily disconnecting the cable to a TV. I haven't discovered how exactly its caused, but its usually when I move my head or neck."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, November 3, 2007)

"I was hoping I wasn't the only one who gets this. Since it happens so quickly, the only reason I can even vaguely recall what it looks and feels like is because it happens just about every morning while I get out of bed."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - More Images, November 3, 2007)

"I think mine limits me alot. Not just the vision, but the disorientation and fuzziness and lack of feeling alive. If you don't have that as well, lucky you."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Daughter seeing patterns, November 4, 2007)

"Lately I've been becoming more bothered by bluish vericose-veins like patterns that start at the edge of my vision and creep towards the center of my vision then disappear, then return over and over again. This happens mostly at night with my eyes closed while I'm trying to sleep, and the only way to ignore it is to have my TV on.

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Lava lamp, 2007. "Here's how the lava lamp usually appears with my eyes closed, and sometimes open." © 2007 ohCRICKETS

I also have the purplish lava lamp phenomenon which is like a blob that moves around in waves around and across my vision when my eyes are closed as well. It acts kinda like an air bubble caught inside something filled with water traveling across the top in the same pattern over and over, slowly changing course over time. The lava lamp also makes my eyes hurt as though a light was being flashed into them.

These are the two most describable problems, and I see alot of random crap going on while I try to sleep and it makes me anxious and nearly incapable of keeping my eyes closed long enough to fall asleep unless I take alot of sleeping medicine."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Jeez, November 5 and 7, 2007)

"I notice some of the hallucinations do seem somewhat affected by my thoughts and by concentrating and imagining them subside. However, that causes me more mental strain than the visuals themselves, lol."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - Discussion - Jeez, November 5, 2007)

"Post in here if you have honest to God DP/DR or exist in a constant state of consciousness where nothing feels right and every day feels like a dream.

I can barely take it anymore. I'm tired of feeling alone."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Help, November 8, 2007)

"I'm not sure what being in a movie is like from others' perception, but the simplest way to describe mine is that I no longer feel fully aware of anything that isn't directly in front of me, and in the things in front of me seem odd and 2-dimensional. My body parts, especially my arms, don't feel like they're part of my body anymore, but I can still control them. If I move around too much I get dizzy and freak out."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Help, November 8, 2007)

"I feel more aware of my nose too, and especially my eyebrows."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - anyone else have this annoying visual?, November 8, 2007)

A demonstration of negative afterimages (quoted from here). If one stares at the cross, one will see the blank space moving around the circle eventually become a light green dot, due to the persisting negative afterimage of the purple dots.

"Look at this! Post how long it takes before you begin to see the green dot. And any unusual activity that might arise after staring at it.

It takes about .8 of a second before I see the green dot appear. I've seen it on the internet a long time ago, and found it again on Wikipedia in the Palinopsia article. The first time I tried the moving dots, back before all this crap started, it took a few seconds before I clearly saw the green dot, and the green dot would go around and eat the other dots till the only the green one was apparent. Now it appears alot faster, and the pink dots randomly fade in and out and turn green too."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Look at this, November 10, 2007)

"Everything feels less 3-dimensional to me..."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - New member - Lifelong vs, November 10, 2007)

"I only had it [DP/DR] for about 2 weeks when I was a teen, and it ended pretty quickly once my bloodwork came back OK. I'm hoping once I can see a professional about all this and know that its a migraine complication and not MS or cancer or brain damage, it'll subside on its own. My brain is pretty much stuck in this, and I can't simply shake it off and therapy it. The best way I can describe our condition is like... we can't feel anymore, but we can know. We can judge facts, but they have no consequence on our senses."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - New member - Lifelong vs, November 10, 2007)

"HD tvs are my new enemy. I was never around them much, but after watching some movies on one in the dark, I now know its much worse than standard televisions. If I close my eyes after looking away from an HD screen, I see a polyopic trail of red, green, blue, red, green, blue, red, green, blue, etc, instead of just the positive image of the screen."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - my eyesight is improving, November 15, 2007)

"For me its usually always worse in the morning. The whole having clear, lucid dreams while asleep and DR and VS when I wake up. Its like a new shock every day."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Worsening of vs intensity after awakening from sleep, November 19, 2007)

"Maybe this is only in my case, but sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, I notice that there's a delay when I open my eyes. If I keep blinking, it looks like everything is slowly emerging out of the blackness, instead of seeing everything instantaneously. Maybe the description is lacking, but anyone ever experience this? I'm thinking that there isn't just a preservation of visual information, but instead, or also, a delay in the processing of new information."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Something I thought of, November 20, 2007)

"A crazy picture I found [here]. I swear, if my visual noise were any less subtle, this is what I'd probably see. This image is certainly an exaggeration, but between the roots, the grainier patterns appear and move in a way that is VERY similar to VS. And there are a number of spaces very reminiscent of scotomas. Overall, it reminds me of chaotic night-time hallucinations, not much unlike those I'm plagued with."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Oh wow (picture I found), November 20, 2007)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Normal vision, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see )

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Abormal vision (bright blue/purply scotoma, little white dot), 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

"This shows two common symptoms I've been noticing. One, being a bluish cloud that I see occasionally that just sits in the same spot. The other is a bright white spot that appears for a few seconds. It doesn't give me any starburst, as it is not a physical source of light. It has a sort of metallic coloration, and appears like a hole in a picture held in front of a light."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Bored, so... new pictures, December 8, 2007)

Upon being asked how long the longest one of his "bluish clouds" has lasted, ohCRICKETS replied: "I'd say barely over a minute. My scotomas usually last for an hour."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Bored, so... new pictures, December 8, 2007)

"I have to highlight everything before I can read it. I don't think I've had exactly what you're seeing, but I've had black text on white background make random lines of text appear to be in bold."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - New visual disturbance, December 10, 2007)

"My tinnitus is much like the feedback of an electric guitar."

(ohCRICKETSl [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Sensitivity to sound & Tinnitus, December 12, 2007)

"I woke up this morning to a jet engine and the sound of the ocean in my brain."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Explain your tinnitus symptoms, December 21, 2007)

"I made an example [here]."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Explain your tinnitus symptoms, December 23, 2007; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Persistent aura symptoms before attack of migraine aura without headache, 2007. © 2007 ohCRICKETS

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Attack of migraine aura without headache with scintillating fortification, 2007. "This picture is the transitory migraine aura, during which I don't remember any other visual problems." © 2007 ohCRICKETS

"I had a migraine with aura during I Am Legend."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - shift in migraine pattern..., December 28, 2007; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"The left side of my visual field began to go blurry, and a scintillating fortification appeared. It began in the center, going leftward and curving down, though it was less angled than usual scintillating fortifications. As it grew, it moved clockwise until it was out of view. Then my vision slowly became less blurry and obscured, and I think during the aura, my vision became sharper (except the areas with the scotoma) and the snow less noticeable until everything resolved."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - shift in migraine pattern..., December 29, 2007)

"I'll work on the illustration in a bit, but the attack lasted about 10-20 minutes, and the increase in clarity was noticeable about half-way into the migraine and a few minutes after resolution."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - shift in migraine pattern..., December 29, 2007)

"Given, there is a possibility that I was distracted by the huge shimmering line and everything else was just alot less of a priority for my mind to perceive."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - shift in migraine pattern..., December 29, 2007)

"My DP/DR is like feeling constantly between consciousness and unconsciousness. And it seems like my mind is having a hard enough time perceiving what is front of it, that everything else around and behind me almost feels non-existent. I feel like I'm no longer part of a living, breathing, vibrant and changing world."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - New here, January 8, 2008)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Derealization, 2008. "DP/DR isn't really visual, but it does have certain visual 'feelings', like a tunneling or darkening of the periphery and separation from the surrounding environment." © 2008 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Depersonalization-derealization, 2008. "For this version I used a painting filter to make it seem more 2-dimensional and lacking in depth, as it is how everything looks and feels under the effects of depersonalization/derealization." © 2008 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Depersonalization-derealization, 2008. "This image represents the dream-like feelings and sense of detachment experienced with DP/DR. Our senses become strange and alien to us, and the world appears unusually distant and insignificant." © 2008 ohCRICKETS (larger image see here)

1st image: "DP/DR isn't really visual, but it does have certain visual 'feelings', like a tunneling or darkening of the periphery and separation from the surrounding environment."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - head pressure, January 14, 2008)

"2nd image - For this version I used a painting filter to make it seem more 2-dimensional and lacking in depth, as it is how everything looks and feels under the effects of depersonalization/derealization.

3rd image - This image represents the dream-like feelings and sense of detachment experienced with DP/DR. Our senses become strange and alien to us, and the world appears unusually distant and insignificant."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - head pressure, January 15, 2008)

ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Something I've been seeing, 2008. © 2008 ohCRICKETS

"Something I've been seeing. This is a visual that has started to become more than uncommon. Basically I'll see a glowing streak moving almost like a transparent worm-like organism under a microscope, and it will travel about an inch across my vision in a random direction, then where it stops is where a scotoma forms, and when I blink, I see a light glowing in the middle of the scotoma."

(ohCRICKETS [subject #433], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Something I've been seeing, April 7, 2008)

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