Statement from Monash VSS / Response to Opinion Piece

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Prof Owen B White MD, PhD, FNANOS, FRACP

A/Prof Joanne Fielding PhD

Co-Directors Ocular Motor Research Laboratory

Monash University, Central Clinical School

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

To The VSI Community

We at Monash continue to work in the area of visual snow syndrome. We are well aware of the recent opinion piece by Prof Kondziella. It is critical of our work but it needs to be seen in context. It is an opinion piece and is part of the academic arena. 

The vast majority of clinical opinion has shifted in the last 20 years to recognise visual snow syndrome is a real entity. It presents as a spectrum, some people being severely affected and many people not so severely affected. Scientific evaluation of patients with visual snow syndrome has validated differences in patients with the syndrome as opposed to control subjects. This evidence is seemingly incontrovertible. 

We will continue to work in this area in collaboration with our supporters, including the Visual Snow Initiative, who have been supportive since our entry into this area. 

We do not believe that the patient group should feel invalidated by a single opinion piece published recently.

Owen B White & Joanne Fielding

Central Clinical School

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, 

The Alfred Centre, Level 6, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne Victoria 3004, Australia

T: +61 3 9903 0640

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/ccs

ABN 12 377 614 012  CRICOS Provider #00008C