Visual Snow - Your Visual Snow Treatment Resource

What Are the Symptoms of Visual Snow?

evisualsnow — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:20:26 +0000

Many people are often confused about the symptoms that present with visual snow. Of course, the hallmark symptom is visual snow itself. However, in addition to this, sufferers of visual snow also often have a cluster of other physical signs and symptoms.

Visual Snow Symptoms

Visual snow – Seeing snow or television-like static in parts of or the whole of your visual field. Visual snow can be any color but it usually consists of small, translucent dots whose flicker intensity varies from person to person.
Palinopsia – A visual disturbance that causes images to persist to some extent even after their corresponding stimulus has left.
Tinnitus – Characterized by a noise or ringing in the ears.
Floaters – Spots or specks that wander indiscriminately around in your visual field.
Light sensitivity - Also known as photosensitivity, light sensitivity is identified by an increased sensitivity to light. This includes artificial light as well as natural sunlight.
Phosphenes – A phenomenon characterized by seeing light without light actually entering the eye.
Blue field entoptic phenomenon – Commonly known as Scheerer’s phenomenon, it is the appearance of tiny bright dots which move quickly along squiggly lines in the visual field, when looking into bright blue light (most often the sky).
Halos/rays – Also commonly referred to as starbursting, consists of seeing halos or rays around sources of light. This also includes reflected sunlight off a car, for instance.
Benign fasciculation syndrome – Characterized by twitching of various voluntary muscles in the body.
Haidinger’s brush – An entoptic phenomenon in which people are able to perceive polarization of light.
Purkinje’s tree – A visual phenomenon characterized by seeing the retinal blood vessels in one’s own eye.
Eustachian tube problems – In addition to tinnitus, sufferers of visual snow often experience ear fullness as well as a clicking sound when swallowing.
Red eye - Characterized by abnormal redness of the eye or eyes.

I describe what I did to cure my visual snow symptoms here.

What Is Lyme Disease?

evisualsnow — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:10:44 +0000

Lyme disease is also known as Lyme borreliosis. The disease was first reported in Lyme, a city in Connecticut hence the name became synonymous with the disease since 1975. Lyme disease is a tick borne infectious disease caused by certain species of bacteria. In the US, it is known to be caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto while in Europe, the Borrelia afzelli and Borellia garinii are known to cause Lyme disease. Nymphs are popularly known as the carrier of these types of bacteria that can be transmitted on to humans.

Lyme Disease Symptoms

Lyme disease symptoms are classified into several sections depending on the intensity of the infection and the time for which the infection gets to grow in the body in the absence of treatment. The most visible Lyme disease symptoms are at the place or area of the skin of the tick bite. Normally, one would develop some rashes in the affected area. Bulls eye rash pattern is the most commonly observed Lyme disease symptoms at the early stages. The rashes may get severe as one delay any Lyme disease treatment.

With time the rashes may be raised and one can develop Borrelial lymphocytoma. The latter looks like a red boil and can vary in shapes ranging from that of a small spot to a large pimple. Apart from the physically noticeable Lyme disease symptoms, in the early stages an infected person would have fever and associated headache is common. Depression and fatigue sets in quickly. These Lyme disease symptoms are more likely to stay for the first two weeks to a month of being infected with the bacteria.

If no Lyme disease treatment is opted for in the first few days or the first fortnight or so, one would start to suffer from joint aches, heart issues and nervous problems. One can start fainting abnormally at odd times, enhanced levels of anxiety and continued fatigue would also step in.

In any case, Lyme disease treatment must be commenced right after spotting the first symptoms since left untreated Lyme disease can lead to serious problems such as loss of memory, loss of hearing, cognitive dysfunction and dental problems. While joint pains and inflammations would get severe, the vital organs can be affected in the longer run.

There are quite a few Lyme disease treatment options however the best is to first get a detailed diagnosis done to completely understand the exact nature and intensity of the infection.

What Is Computer Vision Syndrome?

evisualsnow — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:44:31 +0000

In today’s world, with so many people, both adults and children, using computers and smartphones for several hours each day, many people are suffering from CVS or Computer Vision Syndrome. Computer vision syndrome is the result of staring at a computer screen (or the screen of a Smartphone) for too long without refocusing your eyes, and usually it is only a temporary condition and will go away by itself. There are some other eye problems that might mimic computer vision syndrome, so it is important to get an eye exam from your eye care professional if you have recurring eye problems to make sure that you receive the correct diagnosis.

The most frequent symptoms of computer vision syndrome is dry eyes, blurred vision, strained feeling eyes, headaches and pain in the neck and shoulders. Pain in the neck and shoulders may indicate computer vision, because if you have spent enough time in front of your computer screen to be suffering pain in your neck and shoulders, then your eyes are probably suffering as well.

There are several things that you can do to prevent computer vision syndrome. First of all, make sure that your work station is as comfortable as you can make it. Ergonomics are very important in your work area. Make sure that your chair and your computer monitor are adjusted to the proper height to give you maximum comfort. You also need to be sure that your chair is the proper design to ensure that you maintain good posture while working on the computer. Positioning documents that you need to look back and forth at adjacent to your computer will also be helpful.

You might consider upgrading your monitor from a cathode ray tube (CRT) to an LCD monitor with the highest resolution that you can get. This will help to ease eye strain, as will adjusting the display settings on your computer. By adjusting the text size and contrast, the brightness and the color temperature on your computer might help prevent computer eye syndrome. Make sure you have good lighting that is not excessively bright. You should also be try to get rid of any glare or reflections that are behind or in front of your monitor. Simply pulling the blinds, shades or drapes will help.

The last thing that you should do is to give your eyes a break. Blink frequently, look away from the screen every few minutes to a point in the distance for a few seconds, and get up and physically move away from the computer. Your eyes and your body will benefit from getting up and moving around from time to time. A few simple steps can help you prevent computer vision syndrome.

What Is TMJ Disorder?

evisualsnow — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:24:15 +0000

The condition known as Temporomandibular joint disorder is a collection of problems or disorders that affect the joint of the jaw. The jaw joint gets affected by these disorders, resulting in pain around these joints as well as limited movement. This condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder can also be referred to as tmj and is associated with certain facial muscles. The TMJ or temporo manibular joint is the joint that acts as a jaw and connects the lower jaw bone to the skull. Normally, these joints are very flexible and allow for the easy movement of the jaw and mouth.

There are various reasons and causes that may result in Temporomandibular joint disorder. Causes include arthritis, jaw injury, muscle fatigue and many others. There are other issues that may arise such as tmj and tinnitus, tmj and headaches and tmj headaches. When a patient is suffering from one of these disorders associated with the jaw joint, they may experience pain in the general jaw joint region. This pain may spread to the cheeks but will mostly be located in front of the ear.

Clicking sounds may be heard in a person with this condition when they are eating or moving the jaw. However, if there is pain and limited movement then this is an even greater sign of this condition. Some patients with this condition get to suffer from sensitivity to sound, problems with the ear and even dizziness or vertigo. This is why some people may experience tmj and headaches while others may suffer tmj and tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a ringing that usually occurs in the ears. People with this condition actually hear sounds even though none have been produced. This problem is sometimes attributed to tmj or Temporomandibular joint disorder. A person suffering from this condition should seek appropriate treatment from a doctor. Treatment involves certain measures that may include surgery. Other forms of treatment that may be adopted include the use medication, pain killers, massage, physiotherapy treatments such as ultrasound and even gentle jaw exercise. Sometimes injections may be used in the treatment as part of treatment process. Most doctors use multiple options when treating Temporomandibular joint disorder.

There are some doctors that focus on treating tmj and tinnitus. There are certain special medicines that have been developed for treating tinnitus of various kinds, including tinnitus that results from Temporomandibular joint disorder.

What Are Migraines?

evisualsnow — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:34:51 +0000

Migraine can be defined as a chronic neurological disorder and is characterized by headaches that range from moderate to severe. This condition is more common in females than it is in men by a ratio of about 3:1. A migraine headache can result in intense throbbing and pounding in one part of the head and can be accompanied by vomiting, nausea as well as sensitivity to noise and light. A migraine with aura, also referred to as migraine aura is a regular migraine condition that is usually preceded by certain warning signs such as blind spots, tingling of the face and hands or flashes of light.

Patients suffering from migraine aura will receive the very same treatment as patients suffering from regular migraine headaches. These patients will also need to take the same precautionary care as well as medications and other actions. Many doctors prescribe medicine to lessen the severity of the migraine headaches as well as remedies that include a change on lifestyle. Lifestyle changes could go a long way in reducing the number of episodes as well as severity of the migraines. These include more hours of sleep, stress and weight issues are all factors.

There are certain factors that could be viewed as causative factors in relation to migraine headaches. One of these is the hormone factor. This is more prevalent in women. Menstruation may bring about hormonal imbalances which may result in migraine headaches. Sleep deficiency and stress could also be causative factors for migraine headaches. There is also a connection between overweight and obesity with children and young adults with weight issues can suffer migraines related to their obesity. Stress also plays a big part in people’s lives and managing stress is very important. Those that cannot manage stress will tend to suffer stress related migraine headaches.

There are preventive treatment options available to patients suffering migraine headaches. Preventive action include taking of medication, surgery, nutritional supplements, changes in lifestyle, increased exercises and the avoidance of activity that triggers the migraine. These include avoiding noise, bright light and stress. Sometimes doctors may recommend surgery as a treatment option for migraines.

There are certain medicines when overused can result in migraine headaches. The overuse of medications can result in migraine headaches as well as migraine aura. Taking preventive measures and making lifestyle changes are some of the most important steps that a patient could make in order to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches.