Spotlight on: Cate Krystoff ???? @cate__the__great
“Hi! My name is Cate. I was 10 the first time I remember experiencing visual snow. Every night when I would close my eyes to go to sleep I would see a light show of moving colored lines and flashing rings. I would tell my parents my vision looked like an old tv screen. As I got older the texture of visual snow got heavier and I would get panic attacks almost everyday from the appearance of my “swirls”. These are bright swirling dots permanently fixed in 2 spots of my vision that I saw during the day and night. Through middle and highschool I visited various optometrists and ophthalmologists that told me my eyes were perfectly fine. The floaters and dots in the sky I would mention were “totally normal”, something that everyone experiences. It was very frustrating and depressing because I thought I was going blind as my symptoms got worse.
One night, I was having a panic attack in high school about the stress of my symptoms when my friend’s dad did some internet digging and came across Visual Snow Syndrome. I had almost all of the symptoms they listed, it was very validating. I have since seen a neuro ophthalmologist that has diagnosed me with visual snow. They took retinal scans and found that I had retinal damage in the two place I see my “swirls”. This seems to be unrelated to visual snow. I tried going on Lamotrigine, an anti seizure medication, but it did not help the visual snow.
There have been periods of my life where I go through extreme anxiety about my vision, and times when it hardly bothers me at all. This has shown me the power of perspective and mindfulness. Everyday I tell myself that visual snow is just another part of me that makes my life unique, and that I will not go blind. Living a healthier lifestyle helps with my symptoms; sleeping better, avoiding alcohol, and exercise. You could even say visual snow is a motivating factor in living a healthier life. I am so thankful for the VSI for helping me find my diagnosis and feel less alone. Please DM me if you would like to connect ♥️”
