Grant: Project Grant

Visual Snow Syndrome is a recently-recognised visual disorder, the cause of which is not yet known. People with the condition see a constant visual snow that looks like the static from an old television tuned between channels. They also experience other visual symptoms. Together, these problems with their vision can cause difficulties in tasks such as reading and driving. They also tend to experience tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and migraines. Although the condition was only recognised in the past decade, studies have shown up to 1 in 50 people may be affected to some extent. Currently, diagnosis relies on what patients can communicate about their visual experience. There is not a measurement that can be made to say how severe the condition is. This makes studying Visual Snow Syndrome difficult. For example, when trying possible treatments for the condition it would be useful to be able to objectively measure if it had improved. The purpose of this project is to investigate the different ways that Visual Snow Syndrome affects visual function. Based on our theories of what may differ in individuals with the condition, we will test patients' vision using tasks on which we expect them to behave differently to individuals with normal vision. These tasks could then form the basis for tools we will develop to diagnose and measure the severity of Visual Snow Syndrome. We will also look at how the interaction between vision and hearing might be affected in Visual Snow Syndrome. Because people with the condition often also have tinnitus, we will investigate whether there are differences in how information is combined between the senses. We will also collect data about how Visual Snow Syndrome affects day- to-day visual function and quality of life. This will help focus research on the aspects of the condition that most impact the lives of patients.