Visual Snow Syndrome - About The Disease

RARE DISEASE DAY at NIH Feb. 27, 2026 | #RDDNIHncats.nih.gov/rdd Join us for Rare Disease Day at NIH! Register Here U.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health

• Home
• Browse by Disease
• Visual snow syndrome

• Visual snow syndrome

Español Visual snow syndrome

• Disease Information
• Navigating Care
• Find Your Community
• Participate in Research

Navigate to sub-section Disease Information

Summary

Visual snow syndrome affects the way the visual information is processed by the brain and eyes. People with Visual snow syndrome see many flickering tiny dots, like snow or static, that fill the entire visual field. Other visual symptoms include seeing blobs of varying size and shape (floaters) and continuing to see images after they are out of the line of sight. In addition, people with Visual snow syndrome may have light sensitivity, difficulty with night vision, migraines, and ringing in the ears. The symptoms do not usually change over time. The cause of Visual snow syndrome is unknown, but it is likely to be involve how the brain processes vision. Visual snow syndrome is diagnosed based on the symptoms.

Summary

Visual snow syndrome affects the way the visual information is processed by the brain and eyes. People with Visual snow syndrome see many flickering tiny dots, like snow or static, that fill the entire visual field. Other visual symptoms include seeing blobs of varying size and shape (floaters) and continuing to see images after they are out of the line of sight. In addition, people with Visual snow syndrome may have light sensitivity, difficulty with night vision, migraines, and ringing in the ears. The symptoms do not usually change over time. The cause of Visual snow syndrome is unknown, but it is likely to be involve how the brain processes vision. Visual snow syndrome is diagnosed based on the symptoms.Visual snow syndrome affects the way the visual information is processed by the brain and eyes. People with Visual snow syndrome see many flickering tiny dots, like snow or static, that fill the entire visual field. Other visual symptoms include seeing blobs of varying size and shape (floaters) and continuing to see images after they are out of the line of sight. In addition, people with Visual snow syndrome may have light sensitivity, difficulty with night vision, migraines, and ringing in the ears. The symptoms do not usually change over time. The cause of Visual snow syndrome is unknown, but it is likely to be involve how the brain processes vision. Visual snow syndrome is diagnosed based on the symptoms. Read More Read Less

About Visual snow syndrome

Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:

• Symptoms:GARD does not currently have information about when this disease may start to appear.
• Cause:GARD does not currently have information about the cause of this disease.
• Organizations:Patient organizations dedicated to this rare disease are available on GARD, or you may contact a GARD Information Specialist for additional information.

Symptoms The types of symptoms experienced, and their intensity, may vary among people with this disease. Your experience may be different from others. Consult your health care team for more information.The following describes the symptom(s) associated with this disease along with the corresponding body system(s), description, synonyms, and frequency (Note: Not all possible symptoms may be listed):

23 Symptoms

AnxietySynonym: AnxietySynonym: AnxiousnessSynonym: Excessive, Persistent Worry and FearBipolar Affective DisorderSynonym: Bipolar DepressionSynonym: Bipolar DisorderSynonym: Manic DepressiveBrain FogSynonym: Mental CloudingSynonym: Mental FatigueSynonym: Mental FogDepersonalizationDepressionSynonym: DepressionSynonym: Depressive EpisodeSynonym: DepressivityDerealizationDiminished Ability to ConcentrateSynonym: Concentration ProblemsSynonym: Labored ThinkingSynonym: Lack of ConcentrationSynonym: Poor ConcentrationFatigueSynonym: FatigueSynonym: TiredSynonym: TirednessIrritabilitySynonym: IrritabilitySynonym: IrritableSynonym: Irritable MoodMigraineSynonym: Intermittent Migraine HeadachesSynonym: MigraineSynonym: Migraine HeadacheSynonym: Migraine HeadachesMigraine with AuraNeck PainSynonym: Neck PainNyctalopiaSynonym: Night BlindnessSynonym: Night-BlindnessSynonym: Poor Night VisionOrthostatic TachycardiaSynonym: Postural TachycardiaParesthesiaSynonym: ParesthesiasSynonym: Pins and Needles FeelingSynonym: TinglingPhotophobiaSynonym: Extreme Sensitivity of The Eyes to LightSynonym: Light HypersensitivitySynonym: PhotodysphoriaPhotopsiaPostural InstabilitySynonym: Balance ImpairmentSleep AbnormalitySynonym: Difficulty SleepingSynonym: Sleep DisturbanceSynonym: Sleep DisturbancesSynonym: Sleep DysfunctionSynonym: Trouble SleepingTinnitusSynonym: Ringing in EarsSynonym: Ringing in The EarsTremorSynonym: TremorSynonym: TremorsVertigoSynonym: Dizzy SpellVitreous FloatersSynonym: Eye FloatersSynonym: Flitting FliesSynonym: Mouches VolantesSynonym: MyodeopsiaSynonym: MyodesopsiaSynonym: Spots in Front of EyesSynonym: Vitreous CondensationsSynonym: Vitreous DebrisSynonym: Vitreous OpacitiesSynonym: Vitreous VeilsFilter: All Systems

All Systems
• Nervous System

23 Symptoms

Filter and Sort

23 Symptoms

Body Systems

Symptoms related to this disease may affect different systems of the body. Use the 'Filter and Sort' function to learn more about which body system(s) are affected by this disease and their associated symptom(s). Tremor Vertigo

Medical Term

Vitreous floaters

FrequencyUncommonVery frequentVery frequentAlwaysDescriptionDeposits of various size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility within the eye's vitreous humor, which is normally transparent.SynonymEye floaters; Flitting flies; Mouches volantes; Myodeopsia; Myodesopsia; Spots in front of eyes; Vitreous condensations; Vitreous debris; Vitreous opacities; Vitreous veils Open detail view Anxiety Bipolar affective disorder 23 Symptoms Sort by: Medical Term Anxiety Bipolar affective disorder Brain fog Depersonalization Depression Derealization Diminished ability to concentrate Fatigue Irritability Migraine Migraine with aura Neck pain Nyctalopia Orthostatic tachycardia Paresthesia Photophobia Photopsia Postural instability Sleep abnormality Tinnitus Tremor Vertigo Vitreous floaters This information comes from the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) Navigating Health Care Decisions On average, it can take more than six years to receive an accurate diagnosis. Many primary care providers (PCPs) may not be familiar with rare diseases, and patients often need to visit multiple specialists or seek second opinions to get answers.

If a diagnosis remains unclear, visiting a multidisciplinary care center or university hospital may help. These centers bring together teams of specialists who can work together to evaluate symptoms and coordinate a diagnosis. This team-based approach is also helpful after a diagnosis, when managing care for rare diseases.

Because only about 5% of rare diseases have FDA-approved treatments, finding the right healthcare team to manage your symptoms and overall health is essential. People living with rare diseases often face challenges such as delayed diagnosis, limited treatment options, and difficulty accessing knowledgeable providers. Building a care team that understands your needs can make a significant difference in your quality of life.

Your Health Care Team

Why is building the right health care team important?

Building the right health care team is key to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of your long-term health journey living with a rare disease. Start by choosing a primary care provider (PCP). Your PCP will be your main point of contact and help coordinate care with other medical professionals. Your PCP may order tests or refer you to specialists. To find a PCP near you, use the Medicare provider search tool and enter your location and “Primary Care Provider.”

Seeing multiple specialists is important for people with rare diseases because these conditions often affect many parts of the body and require care from doctors with different expertise. Most primary care providers may not be familiar with rare diseases, so involving specialists can lead to a more accurate diagnosis and better care. A coordinated team approach ensures that all symptoms are addressed and that care is well-managed. It can also connect patients with the latest research or treatment options.

These specialists may help in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of Visual snow syndrome: How do you find eye disease specialists (ophthalmologists)? How do you find neuro-ophthalmology specialists? Multidisciplinary Care Centers

Is It Time to Get a Second Opinion or Specialized Evaluation?

If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but are still searching for a diagnosis, it may be time to visit an academic medical center or, for pediatric patients, a children's hospital. Academic medical centers and children's hospitals, often called multidisciplinary care centers, typically bring together specialists from different fields to work together on complex cases like rare diseases.

Multidisciplinary care centers may offer more coordinated care and be involved in clinical research, which may help reduce the time to diagnosis and provide access to emerging diagnostic tools. Specialists at these centers may have a deeper understanding of rare diseases and serve as a resource when you'd like a second opinion, particularly when test results or treatment plans are not delivering expected results.

Use this tool to find hospitals that may partner with medical schools and programs in your area.

Multidisciplinary Care Centers

Is It Time to Get a Second Opinion or Specialized Evaluation?

If you've visited your PCP, met with specialists, and undergone the recommended tests, but are still searching for a diagnosis, it may be time to visit an academic medical center or, for pediatric patients, a children's hospital. Academic medical centers and children's hospitals, often called multidisciplinary care centers, typically bring together specialists from different fields to work together on complex cases like rare diseases.

Multidisciplinary care centers may offer more coordinated care and be involved in clinical research, which may help reduce the time to diagnosis and provide access to emerging diagnostic tools. Specialists at these centers may have a deeper understanding of rare diseases and serve as a resource when you'd like a second opinion, particularly when test results or treatment plans are not delivering expected results.

Use this tool to find hospitals that may partner with medical schools and programs in your area.

Rare Disease Experts

How can you find a rare disease expert?

If a diagnosis, care management, or treatment plan remains unclear despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it may be time to find a rare disease expert for your disease, if available. A rare disease expert is a medical provider that has knowledge or training on specific rare disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals, sometimes called centers of excellence. Centers of Excellence commit to sharing knowledge and best practices that can lead to improved care and treatment for individuals living with a rare disease. You can also contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding experts, centers of excellence, or clinics that focus on your disease.

You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Visual snow syndrome:

• Visual Snow Initiative

Rare Disease Experts

How can you find a rare disease expert?

If a diagnosis, care management, or treatment plan remains unclear despite extensive efforts by your PCP and specialists, it may be time to find a rare disease expert for your disease, if available. A rare disease expert is a medical provider that has knowledge or training on specific rare disease(s), but there may only be a few experts in your state, region, or country. Rare disease experts may work at large research or teaching hospitals, sometimes called centers of excellence. Centers of Excellence commit to sharing knowledge and best practices that can lead to improved care and treatment for individuals living with a rare disease. You can also contact a GARD Information Specialist for help finding experts, centers of excellence, or clinics that focus on your disease.

You can ask your care providers for help finding an expert or use directory tools to search for experts near you. The following organization(s) may maintain a list of experts or expert centers for people living with Visual snow syndrome:

• Visual Snow Initiative

Find Your Community How can patient organizations help?

Patient organizations can help patients and families connect. They build public awareness of the disease and are a driving force behind research to improve patients' lives. They may offer online and in-person resources to help people live well with their disease. Many collaborate with medical experts and researchers.Services of patient organizations differ, but may include:

• Ways to connect to others and share personal stories
• Easy-to-read information
• Up-to-date treatment and research information
• Patient registries
• Lists of specialists or specialty centers
• Financial aid and travel resources

Please note: GARD provides organizations for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of their services. Contact a GARD Information Specialist for more information on organizations that may be dedicated to this disease. Please contact an organization directly if you have questions about the information or resources it provides.

View GARD's criteria for including patient organizations, which can be found under the FAQs on our About GARD page. Request an update or to have your organization added to GARD.

Patient Organizations

Filter Download

5 Organizations

Organization Name

Who They Serve

Helpful Links

Country

Visual Snow Initiative

People With

Visual snow syndrome

Helpful Links

List of Experts

Country

United States

EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases

People With

Rare Diseases

Country

United States

Genetic Alliance

People With

Rare Diseases

Country

United States

Global Genes

People With

Rare Diseases

Country

United States

National Organization for Rare Disorders

People With

Rare Diseases

Country

United States

Participate in Research

Clinical studies are a part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.

What Are Clinical Studies?

Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:

1. Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
2. Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.

Learn more about clinical trials from this National Institutes of Health webpage.

Why Participate in Clinical Studies?

People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or a similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.

What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?

ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.

Why may you want to consider joining the All of Us Research Program?

The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.

What Are Clinical Studies?

Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:

1. Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
2. Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.

Learn more about clinical trials from this National Institutes of Health webpage.

Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:

1. Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
2. Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.

Learn more about clinical trials from this National Institutes of Health webpage.

Read More Read Less

Why Participate in Clinical Studies?

People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or a similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or a similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location. Read More Read Less

What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?

ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.

Why may you want to consider joining the All of Us Research Program?

The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.

ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.Search ClinicalTrials.gov for this disease.GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases Information CenterContact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.1-888-205-2311Leave a detailed voice message and a GARD information specialist will respond to your inquiry. Contact GARD Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.Search ClinicalTrials.gov for this disease.GARDGenetic and Rare Diseases Information CenterContact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.1-888-205-2311Leave a detailed voice message and a GARD information specialist will respond to your inquiry.Contact GARD Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond. View Sources & References

GARD collects data from a variety of sources to populate its website and provide accurate and reliable information on rare diseases. GARD uses data collected from Orphanet, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) , and Mondo Disease Ontology to interpret and provide information on rare diseases. This includes names, synonyms, genes, symptom frequency, population estimates and more.

• Orphanet is an online database of rare diseases and orphan drugs that provides aggregated data coordinated by INSERM-US14 in Paris.
• OMIM is a database of human genes and genetic phenotypes authored and edited at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine , Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Mondo Disease Ontology provides a logic-based structure unifying multiple disease resources in coordination with the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) and support from the NIH National Human Genome Research Institute Phenomics First Resource.

GARD uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) for standard terminology to represent a disease's phenotypic and clinical features.

• Download ontology from HPO
• Learn more about HPO

GARD uses information gathered from the National Center for Biotechnology Information's MedGen to help in explaining genetic and rare diseases.

• Download MedGen Data and FTP

GARD uses the National Library of Medicine for a variety of resources on health information.

• Learn about the Newborn Screening Coding and Terminology Guide
• Find health information from MedlinePlus
• Learn about the Unified Medical Language System

GARD uses additional resources when developing content.

• Review details of "Improving Diagnosis in Health Care"
• Learn about practices GARD follows when developing easy-to-understand content

Last Updated: February 2026