What is the difference between Entoptic phenomenon and Visual Snow?

I am wondering how you can tell the difference in what you are seeing. I am able to see this "static" on bright sufaces, as well as dark. As soon as I've become so aware of them I've noticed that I can almost seeing them anywhere. Including in between lines when reading. I'm not sure that I'm really just unfocusing my eyes enough to see them (in other words looking for it), or I can really just see it everywhere. It looks just like what others have described as seeing the fast moving blood cells in the eyes, but on the other hand also looks like tv static. How do you know?

I just saw my opthamologist last month for my yearly exam. Everything looked fine. I also suffer from migraines (including the ocular kind), as well does many women in my family. Just curious how you know the difference? I've read some pretty scary things about the visual snow (tumors and such), and am hoping that's not it!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I have posted this before. I have no experience with visual snow. In a large clinical practice I have not had a single patient describe what people here describe.

What I know about VS is what I have read here and on the internet.

You can access the many many estended discussions about VS using the search and archive features.

Entopic phenomen exist in everyone's eyes although many people cannot appreciate it or tune it out.

I have entopic phenomonen all the time. Just looking at my computer monitor I can see the blue field flying corpusules.

JCH MD

[Honeybunches31]

Thanks for your response. I guess I was just curious if visual snow was simply people who are a little more in tune to the entopic phenomonen, as they seem quite close in descriptions. I've done lots of searches on this website, as well as others, and seem to get different answers. One that it's nothing to worry about either way, and needs to be ignored. The other basically saying a person needs an MRI to exclude tumors. Big difference in advice there.

I suppose I'm leaning toward just being in tune more with the entopic phenomonen, as it seems the more anxious about it I get the more everywhere I see it. Sorry if this is something you have to talk about often, I'm guessing it's because there is mixed messages out there as to what people should do about it and exactly what it is.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I'm clueless on VS.

JCH MD

[Honeybunches31]

Ok, I understand. But you would say that you've seen people that have had a hard time tuning out the flying corpusules once they've become aware of them? I appreciate your feedback and time.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[jason80]

FWIW, I have both VS and entopic phenomenon that started ~ 6 mo ago, simultaneously. At least in my case, it would seem they have a common root cause. I only see the entopic phenomenon when I look at the sky, but the VS and its associated symptoms are 24/7 everywhere.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[Honeybunches31]

Thanks Jason, I appreciate your feedback. It's a real shame doctors haven't bothered to learn about this condition, I've actually talked to many online that have it. I don't think it's as rare as they think.