Intense Zig-Zag Flickering Pattern — Visual Snow, Visual Migraine (Aura) or Scintillating Scotoma?

[MichaelP]

Hi,

Pretty sure I just had visual snow. Was sitting at my desk in the office, heard a loud high pitched ring in my right ear and then just after noticed a small, bright intense zig-zag flickering pattern in my field of view.

Kind of panicked, walked off to see if it disappeared. Googled it and assume it must be that.
Went back to my desk and the small zigzag turned into a giant arc (like a big half circle) across my vision as soon as I looked at my computer screen.

Got someone to shut down my computer and left. I rang some health line and whilst I was on the phone it slowly disappeared to the right side of vision and everything out to the right was just kind of pulsing.

Now it appears to have gone.

What should I do??

I can wait at a drop in doctors (not in my own country) for ages to be seen, but the symptoms have gone now and it seems unlikely they'll be able to do anything. I've read treatments are just some hit and miss drugs, but I'm not big on taking drugs from a GP that probably doesn't know much about it especially with my tinnitus.

Anyone have this and have any suggestions?? Or is it literally just hope it doesn't get worse...

Or think it could be anything else (although it seems likely to me it is visual snow)?

I think my extreme tiredness and probably stress by the ring that came on (which has also now disappeared) probably contributed a bit...

Thank you!!

 

[Elfin]

Hi @MichaelP,

It doesn't sound like visual snow to me, more like the aura experienced during a migraine. I have had migraines for many years and often get the scotoma, which is a flickering, zig-zag pattern. It can last anywhere from 15 mins to an hour. It can also be accompanied by severe head pain or followed by no headache at all (silent migraine). Visual snow is more like the static when you view a tv that isn't tuned correctly.

Worth getting it checked out if it persists, but try not to worry about it too much. I had a migraine yesterday, and today I could see the pulse in my eyes many times. Disconcerting if its the first time; it still is for me now, especially when it occurs in a public place, but worth getting it checked out if it recurs.

 

[MichaelP]

Hi @MichaelP,

It doesn't sound like visual snow to me, more like the aura experienced during a migraine. I have had migraines for many years and often get the scotoma, which is a flickering, zig-zag pattern. can last anywhere from 15 mins to an hour. It can also be accompanied by severe head pain or followed by no headache at all (silent migraine). Visual snow is more like the static when you view a tv that isn't tuned correctly.

Worth getting it checked out if it persists, but try not to worry about it too much. I had a migraine yesterday, and today I could see the pulse in my eyes many times. Get it checked if it persists.

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I've been proper freaking out about it. I did read about migraine auras, but I'm not really sure what they are... But seeing as it came at the exact time I had that (what now appears to be) fleeting tinnitus, I assumed it was something to do with that.

Like you say, I also didn't have any headache at all (although do feel absolutely shattered, though that's not uncommon for recent times).
Is it strange that the computer screen seemed to make it worse though?

I've also had really bad headaches in the past (don't know if they're migraines as have never had any other migraine symptoms), but never experienced this before.

If it is a migraine aura is there anything I should be taking for it or do?

Thanks

 

[MichaelP]

Hi @Elfin Looks like you're probably right.
A scintillating scotoma is what it looked like:

It was that exact shape as well, although facing the other way and looked much much brighter.

I think that's a relief?? Although obviously not having it would be more of a relief. Kind of makes me think my brain is properly damaged though and also makes me a bit fearful that something else is going to now happen...

My ears are ringing away more than they have done lately as well. I think I might try and get some sleep...

If you have any advice or if there's anything you take for it please let me know.

Thanks again

 

[Gman]

Visual migraine.
They're supposed to be harmless according to what I've read. I had one once and it was pretty disconcerting, coming out of nowhere. No pain though. It was during a point when I was in a bad/worse place and not sleeping well.

 

[MichaelP]

Visual migraine.
They're supposed to be harmless according to what I've read. I had one once and it was pretty disconcerting coming out of nowhere. No pain though. It was during a point when I was in a bad/worse place and not sleeping well.

Thank you. I'm certain it's that now.

Lack of sleep and constant stress do sound familiar. Although I'd say it was more lack of sleep at the moment.

And yeah, to say I freaked out would be an understatement! Left work immediately and called an emergency help line as I thought it might be the symptoms of something more serious. Although if that image were to stay etched on my vision I'd consider it pretty serious as well!

So you had one but never had it since? Hopefully it'll be a similar story for me...

 

[Kriszti]

Yes, it's aura. It is pretty scary, first I got aural migraine, it scared the shit out of me, because I lost the ability to focus, could not read, everything seemed to be a bit blurry, and felt that I was on a bad trip. (I never did drugs, but I imagine it like this.) I thought that I was going blind. I thought, that "I was special" and that was some life-threatening, mystery symptom, but when I accidentally found out that this is aura, has a name, and googled pictures of it, I could calm down. For me, it always starts with losing the ability to read, the vibrating zigzag comes usually in one side of my sight and then both, and lasts around 30minutes to an hour. Normally the headache starts after that and the only thing that helps is sleep. (Which is a shame because due to tinnitus, I can't sleep, but at the same time, I don't really get migraines either since the T onset. Knock on wood. ) I get nauseous, very sensitive to temperature, lights and sound.
I could not detect a clear pattern to it, comes out of nowhere, but when I am tired, or eat lots of carbs or with hormonal changes, I could expect a migraine.

Right now, I would not worry about this, but if you start getting aura with or without the headache often, go to a neurologist. They probably would not be of much help, but could rule out bigger problems. I never took specific migraine meds, only Ibuprofen or paracetamol and managed it OKish, but now I'm afraid to take those drugs because of tinnitus.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Kriszti What you mention - headaches and eyesight is caused by hypertension - blood pressure. For the young it's often caused by hypertension moments. For the older, it called a hypertension crisis.
https://www.health24.com/Medical/Hy...e-body/Hypertension-and-other-organs-20120721

 

[Kriszti]

@Kriszti What you mention - headaches and eyesight is caused by hypertension - blood pressure. For the young it's often caused by hypertension moments. For the older, it called a hypertension crisis.
https://www.health24.com/Medical/Hy...e-body/Hypertension-and-other-organs-20120721

But I measured my blood pressure during migraine episodes and it was not high.

 

[MichaelP]

Thank you Kriszti. I definitely calmed down when I realised it was likely to be more temporary. I plan to sleep now, hopefully for a long time, but we'll see!

I feel like I probably shouldn't ask what bigger problems there could be if I were to have them often...?
I'm pretty sure this stems from stress/lack of sleep in the same way that my tinnitus was probably started by it, at least in part, what with the whole neurological problems. I guess I'll have to try harder to get that under control.

I asked Dr. Nagler about taking ibuprofen etc (as I always took some for headaches and injuries). From his response it seems that safe doses of drugs like this will always potentially just have temporary spikes (if at all), so I guess it's just trial and error, like he says. Always worth finding out other opinions as well though.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/ototoxic-drugs-—-are-there-safe-amounts-you-can-take.37779/

 

[Greg Sacramento]

It all starts with blood pressure being high for only a few minutes from stress to cause what you describe. It called hyperactive (hypertension moments). Unless you were on a blood pressure monitor, your taking it yourself would not have caught your systolic being higher and your diastolic lower. Blurry eyes, vision problems, migraines, sensitive to temperature, light and sounds, feeling cold, being nauseous and itchy on the stomach almost always associates to blood pressure hypertension.

 

[Gman]

Thank you. I'm certain it's that now.

Lack of sleep and constant stress do sound familiar. Although I'd say it was more lack of sleep at the moment.

And yeah, to say I freaked out would be an understatement! Left work immediately and called an emergency help line as I thought it might be the symptoms of something more serious. Although if that image were to stay etched on my vision I'd consider it pretty serious as well!

So you had one but never had it since? Hopefully it'll be a similar story for me...

Just the one full blown one but had a few instances where I felt like it was coming on, but didn't. If I had another one now, I'd probably just sit back and enjoy the show.

 

[Kriszti]

It all starts with blood pressure being high for only a few minutes from stress to cause what you describe. It called hyperactive (hypertension moments). Unless you were on a blood pressure monitor, your taking it yourself would not have caught your systolic being higher and your diastolic lower. Blurry eyes, vision problems, migraines, sensitive to temperature, light and sounds, feeling cold, being nauseous and itchy on the stomach almost always associates to blood pressure hypertension.

Thank you, Greg. And can this be connected to tinnitus? I also have had floaters for 4-5 years. My normal blood pressure is on the lower end. Normally around 90-100/65-70.

I read that migraines with aura or aura without migraines could possibly carry a risk for TIA, but that it's not entirely proven scientifically.
The neurologist I saw when I first developed migraines like a decade ago sent me to have an MRI to rule out brain tumor, told me that it's not much of a concern unless if I start getting them very often. This summer, way before developing tinnitus, I got migraines more often than I used to, but in November, because of tinnitus, I had an MRI and MRA, and everything was fine, besides a spike. Since I have tinnitus (2.5 months), I had headaches 2 times, which is very strange, because I used to have them like every other day, and last week I had aura, but without the headache. I have been sleeping extremely poorly since onset. Also, when I had the headaches, the sound of tinnitus considerably lessened.

 

[MichaelP]

It all starts with blood pressure being high for only a few minutes from stress to cause what you describe. It called hyperactive (hypertension moments). Unless you were on a blood pressure monitor, your taking it yourself would not have caught your systolic being higher and your diastolic lower. Blurry eyes, vision problems, migraines, sensitive to temperature, light and sounds, feeling cold, being nauseous and itchy on the stomach almost always associates to blood pressure hypertension.

Hi Greg,

I was just wondering if you know anything about migraine auras?

Kriszti said I could try asking you. I'll paste my message to her below:

"I haven't been able to find any answers to this new experience I've been having and it's affecting my sleep massively.

I had my first headache-type migraine two nights ago. Whenever I woke from sleeping I could see a new visual pattern exactly where the migraine was in my head (like I was actually seeing the migraine). These patterns have been happening for 3 nights now, the first 2 nights I'd see a different one whenever I woke from sleeping, and last night I'd see a kind of dark, ominous, ghostly located where the migraine was whenever I had my eyes closed for a bit. The actual headache migraine went within about 12 hours of onset the first night, I do still feel kind of tense in that part of my face at times, although not painful.

If it helps, the patterns look like this (the one on the left is the scintillating scotoma I first came on this forum panicked about a few weeks ago, the other ones happened the first two nights, and I haven't drawn the dark ominous looking one that happened last night as I don't think I could!)"


I do feel like my vision was blurred the night before this happened (although it was very late and dark so I could have been mistaken). I did go to the opticians though and they said my eyesight was fine.

The doctor I saw on Monday said that auras are common and harmless, but I just want reassurance that the way I'm experiencing them isn't anything unusual. I've posted on various forums, but haven't had a reply yet and some of them were over 12 hours ago. I messaged a clinic with a neurologist a week ago and they never responded, so I just sent a follow-up email today. The doctor told me he could refer me, but doubt they'd say anything different and I was convinced I was going to book a flight home to UK (currently in NZ) on Monday, but changed my mind again as I've done a few times now!

The nurse assessing me before the doctors appointment also but a little clip on my finger and put the expandable balloon thing around my arm, which I believe checks for blood pressure, so I'm guessing they were normal as they never mentioned it in my appointment....

Oh, the doctor gave me diplofenac and buccastem for if a migraine happens again, but I've been reluctant to take them as it appears they might be ototoxic, just waiting for clarification on that too, really don't want to make anything worse! Plus I think they're more specifically for the headache type of migraine...

Not sure if you can help, but I'm kind of searching for confirmation that this isn't anything more serious to worry about as it's just another of many new things I've experienced over the past 2 months and in particular past 2 weeks.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@MichaelP I know exactly about what is being experienced as I have as well. It's related to brief hypertension moments. It gets complicated, but a hypertense moment causes increased white brain matter. The increased white matter causes neuro eye associations, headaches and eye pain. Visions with the eye closed can be detailed 3D images.

Questions --- Any abdominal pain? Any slowness in peeing? Have you had a heart ECHO exam? Eye exams?
There's a list of about 20 medications that can cause this, but I really doubt that you are using any of them.
Bloodwork can be helpful to see infection values.
Beta blockers such as Lebetalol are sometimes used. Steroids by IV are debatable by researchers.
Eat a few green grapes and blue berries each day. Antioxidants.
Diplofenac and Buccastem are often used. All 3 drugs mentioned are ototoxic.

 

[MichaelP]

@MichaelP I know exactly about what is being experienced as I have as well. It's related to brief hypertension moments. It gets complicated, but a hypertense moment causes increased white brain matter. The increased white matter causes neuro eye associations, headaches and eye pain. Visions with the eye closed can be detailed 3D images.

Questions --- Any abdominal pain? Any slowness in peeing? Have you had a heart ECHO exam? Eye exams?
There's a list of about 20 medications that can cause this, but I really doubt that you are using any of them.
Bloodwork can be helpful to see infection values.
Beta blockers such as Lebetalol are sometimes used. Steroids by IV are debatable by researchers.
Eat a few green grapes and blue berries each day. Antioxidants.
Diplofenac and Buccastem are often used. All 3 drugs mentioned are ototoxic.

I wouldn't say I have any abdominal pain or slowness peeing. I feel like as soon as something is mentioned these days though I'm sensing it, basically I guess I have a little bit, but it's also 2pm and I'm only just about to eat as I've been in bed all day trying to sleep, but freaking out every time I see the patterns a short while after I close my eyes.

No slowness peeing. I had an eye test including a retinal scan on Sunday (the day before the headache migraine/visions I depicted above) and everything was fine. I haven't had a heart echo exam.

I haven't taken any medication at all. The diplofenac and buccastem I got off the doctor on Monday after I had the migraine and he actually cut me off before I could explain the symptoms I experienced on Monday, because I basically listed everything I was going through prior to it as I was after treatment for everything and he said he couldn't deal with it all. I said I wanted to finish and told him the symptoms I experienced Monday night, but by then I'm not sure how much he was interested in it. He asked me what I wanted to talk about, I said the migraine auras and he basically just said they're common and gave me the aforementioned drugs for it.

I have actually been feeling that area of my head throughout last night (and now), it feels sort of tense, achey and maybe a bit numb. I wouldn't say painful though.

I actually had the first lot of blueberries that I've had in years the day before the migraine, so it's sort of put me off having any more, although I'm guessing pure coincidence...

Have you had the exact same weird patterns then? However, they're now just manifested as large white pulsating patches/staticy and none of the weird shapes I saw the previous two nights.

What should I do about it right now (do I need to go to the hospital or anything)? How worried should I be? I mean, I'm already extremely worried about everything that's been happening to me, so maybe best to say not too worried haha

And thank you so much for your help

 

[MichaelP]

@Greg Sacramento

Also, do you know anywhere I can read more about this? I looked up hypertension, but didn't see anything about those weird patterns mentioned, and I had a blood pressure test and finger thing (is that for pulse?, I literally have no clue) and I'm guessing they were fine as they were never mentioned, so I assumed it was all ok...

Oh, and will there be any problem with me flying? I'm from the UK (living in NZ till June) and have been trying to work through this, but with the tinnitus, migraine auras and subsequent, shakes, panic attacks, sleepless nights etc etc and now this I just can't take it any more...

Also, I just got really upset and my whole forehead has seemed to tense up a bit, so I've decided to give up doing that haha. I'm honestly struggling so bad right now....

 

[Greg Sacramento]

No abdominal pain or slowness peeing - Good.
Eye test including a retinal scan - Good.

I think that you may just be having tension which can cause all that you describe.
Blood pressure does rise with tension, but not enough to worry - per information on your added details mentioned above. I would try the meds that you have been given.

 

[MichaelP]

No abdominal pain or slowness peeing - Good.
Eye test including a retinal scan - Good.

I think that you may just be having tension which can cause all that you describe.
Blood pressure does rise with tension, but not enough to worry - per information on your added details mentioned above. I would try the meds that you have been given.

At what point do i worry then?
Just feel a bit confused. If it brought on a massive pain in that area, those visions in the area that have lasted 3 days and a constant feeling of unease in that area isn't that more serious?

The eye test came before the 'incident' as well.

I also just had an extreme heartbeat and felt lightheaded with a lot of pressure in my head so had to lie down, but i guess maybe that was just stress... Doesn't seem ideal though...

 

[MichaelP]

@Greg Sacramento didn't you say the meds are ototoxic as well?

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@MichaelP

The eye test came before the 'incident' as well.

Do you now have any eye pain or blurred vision? If so, I would see a doctor soon.
When you get back home - see your regular doctor.

The Diplofenac was given to you for high blood pressure.
0.30 reported tinnitus - that only one in three hundred and most were 60 years of age.
The Buccastem was given for migraines.
Only a few times has a report been made for tinnitus and most were female or elderly.

I would take both.

 

[MichaelP]

@MichaelP


Do you now have any eye pain or blurred vision? If so, I would see a doctor soon.
When you get back home - see your regular doctor.

The Diplofenac was given to you for high blood pressure.
0.30 reported tinnitus - that only one in three hundred and most were 60 years of age.
The Buccastem was given for migraines.
Only a few times has a report been made for tinnitus and most were female or elderly.

I would take both.

No eye pain or blurred vision, still a lot of tension in that part of my head and am experiencing the gloomy dark and sometimes static like visions in that part of my head every time my eyes have been closed for a while.

He gave me the meds for migraines, he didn't even mention high blood pressure (unless that's the same thing as a migraine?).

I don't know if I have high blood pressure. As I said in my first post they did a few tests that I believe were testing for high blood pressure that they didn't mention the results of (I'm actually waiting for a nurse to call to confirm, but guessing they're normal, or were at the time).
You said that it sounded exactly like hypertension though and that you had very similar types of visions located in the area of pain, so I assumed it was that, as the symptoms also don't seem like typical aura symptoms.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@MichaelP It appears that your stress levels are on occasion high as you mention. From your provided experiences with headaches - and

No eye pain or blurred vision, still a lot of tension in that part of my head and am experiencing the gloomy dark and sometimes static like visions in that part of my head every time my eyes have been closed for a while.

This would most likely be PRE hypertension, where blood pressure only slightly raises on occasion and briefly when under stress. You don't have eye pain or blurred vision, so what you think may be going on as you mention is just a warning sign to calm down - I don't see your migraine auras being more than a stress response, but your stress needs to be controlled. I would try the meds that were prescribed to you. Stress and tinnitus combined is clinical to everything physical. I would take warm baths, warm showers and place whatever is going on in your life beyond tinnitus as: may it be. If you need someone to talk with, to help you sort out a life problem, then lets talk by PM message.

You have been doing research and I don't think your mentions including migraine auras is more than a warning to calm down. You don't have the physical symptoms needed for your concerns as mentioned in this article.
https://www.healthline.com/health/kaleidoscope-vision