permanent visual aura

[Kris189]

Hello, i have suffered from visual snow for 11 years now and all the doctors i have seen have told me i have depression and anxiety.i have had an MRI and CT which were clear. I am convined that the migraines i started getting at the age of 16 have caused this permanent change in my vision and this has caused me to become anxious and depressed. Everything has an unusal glow about it and appears too bright. i have trouble with flourescent lighting and focusing on reading black text on white paper. computer screens are an issue and lectures at uni are difficult as the white background on the screen makes it hard for me to see beyong the flickering it causes me. after i look at an object then look away i see after images. i have trouble focusing on people when i talk to them due to the visual static. the vision is similar to the auras i used to suffer from before getting a migraine but not as severe.
I would give anything just to have normal vision, it's been so long that i've forgotten what it is like. i avoid social situations in bright lighting due to my focusing problems and i'm sick of this vision thing making everything appear dreamlike!
Do you have any advice?

[reggie82]

Hi,
I was just reading your symptoms and the likeness to what I have is identical - black writing on white paper, computer screens, lights etc. I've had it permanantly for about a year now with no improvement. I never really had migranes or headaches previously. Just wondering if you have made any headway in your search?
Cheers

[jasonbooke]

Hey Kris,
I can relate 100% to your symptoms. As i read your previous posts, it was as if I had posted them myself, our symptoms are very alike; black letters on white paper, computer screens, everything seems to have a glow around it. Whenever I would talk with someone at work I would continually look away for brief seconds as my eyes would glaze over and I would lose concentration. I would concentrate more on the aura instead of the content of our coversation, quite frustrating when you sell houses for a living and face to face communication is essential.
      My auras, first began at 16, usually after a game of football (soccer),
and were followed by a migraine generally lasting 2-3 days. The aura however would cease. I am now 19 and have since stopped playing sports, but now have a permanent aura which is much more mild then those which came before a migraine, but in my opinion are most annoying as they occur 24/7. With this condition comes a constant change in mood and intelligence level. This change in mood has caused a breakdown in relationships more then once.
      My neurologist suggested a drug known as 'sandomigran' which has helped my aura migraines but has failed to remove my mild permanent aura. I have another appointment with him in a week and am keen to solve this problem. I can't even remember what normal vision looked like.
Hope this helps but also maybe you can find comfort in that you are not alone.
Cheers Jason B.

[mitchm5]

I too have the symptoms you describe. I was told by a neurologist that I "couldn't possibly have what I was describing because it was too rare." Since I have depression and social anxiety he was basically labeling me a hypochondriac. I have had the eye exams and the MRI's. I've had symptoms for about 8 years, first noticing it as an all over snow or speckling in dim light, then realizing it was there all the time. I believe it developed at the same time as my tinnitus which I know was a side effect from Wellbutrin. My eye doctor said it sounded as though some "switch was turned on and couldn't be turned off." I am not certain if it is an aura (it does get worse and even pulse with a headache) or if I am actually seeing the viscous fluid in the eye. Whatever it is there appears to be no cure for it and little understanding of it by the medical community. I have come to accept that this is just something I have to live with and I'm grateful I can see when there are so many people who can't.

[avedis27]

Wow, I suffer from exactly the same symptoms - Have been to doctors, eye specialists, had the cat scans...and have basically been told there is nothing that can be done...I just have just accepted the fact I have to live with it.

I am also a migrane sufferer and have had the auras for about 4 years now. I just live with it although it really does effect quality of life. I find it hard to concentrate and focus because the auras always get in the way. My optometrist said I had to be careful of Glaucoma when I get older.

I'm glad I have found people that can actually relate to what I am going through.

[nyxbruxa]

This is quite interesting to read all of everyone's comments...I have had migraines w/auras since 1986 (not much headache or nausea, but always the aura & temporary blindness - usually lasts 20 mins. or so). The squiggly little flashing white lights in my vision are there 24/7 though. Both my mother & uncle experienced the same symptoms. For me, they are little "white worms" that move & dance all about, they sometimes vary in size, like small meteors passing by my eye, but never leave. I've had them for so long, that i function normally and barely notice them, unless i specifically focus on their presence. It's frustrating though, since my optometrist looked at me like i was crazy when i asked him about this. They don't seem to do much, just wiggle about. Good luck to all the others here w/this strange condition.

[headshot007]

I started  having migraine headaches with aura and numbness in body parts when I was 13.  I am 35 now. I went through a bad time in my life at around 15 to 19 years old as the migraines got worse--a really bad one every couple of days. I was unable to attend school very much for a couple of years. During this time I started having problems with anxiety/depression. When I reached around 20 I was able to get on a med combo that allowed me to live my life- I got married, started a career, etc. I did ok for several years then anxiety and migraines almost took over my life again. For the past 2 years, I have been trying to find meds that will help with the anxiety, migraines and constant aura.
For most of my life I have had symptoms like all of you. I have found some important things over the past 22 years, please listen if you have these problems like me;

1-if you have migraines with constant aura-YOU DO HAVE ANXIETY!!!!! Trust me, I have researched anxiety, and migrains extensively, never heard of constant aura without some level of anxiety. You may have lived with a slight amount of anxiety without knowing it. The past year I have tried several ssri s and older antidepressants that have helped me greatly with my aura, anxiety, and migraines. I am VERY far from normal, but I realize now how anxious I was, and how bad the aura was after trying antidepressants that worked. I have been on Amitryptiline, and now switching to Celexia, after Zoloft wore off and aura is worse.
I am not a doctor and could be wrong, but I have spoken with several folks with my problems and they have some level of anxiety with the constant aura. Serotonin is responsible for migraines and anxiety.
I know how tuff this is, but speak with your doctor, or read about anxiety/aura/derealization.