Symptomatic visual snow in acute ischemic stroke: A case series.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology
• Neurology

Background:

• Visual snow syndrome is characterized by persistent visual disturbances.
• It was initially described in patients without identifiable abnormalities.
• Visual snow is the primary symptom of this syndrome.

Observation:

• A case series investigated visual snow in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke.
• Two patients reported prior episodic visual snow with migraines.
• One patient experienced visual snow for the first time during the stroke.

Findings:

• Ischemic strokes affected various brain regions involved in visual processing, including the precuneus, lingual gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, thalamus, cerebellum, occipital pole, corpus callosum, and pons.
• The study indicates that vascular lesions in visual processing areas can cause visual snow.
• The observed cases suggest vascular events as a potential cause for visual snow symptoms.

Implications:

• This research highlights the potential role of vascular lesions in the pathophysiology of visual snow.
• It suggests that visual snow symptoms can arise from acute ischemic events.
• Further research is needed to understand the complex mechanisms underlying visual snow syndrome, especially when linked to vascular causes.