Visual snow syndrome and migraine: a review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a neurological disorder characterized by persistent visual disturbances.
• Symptoms include seeing tiny dots across the visual field, afterimages, entoptic phenomena, nyctalopia, and photophobia.
• VSS can significantly impact quality of life, especially when symptoms begin abruptly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of visual snow syndrome.
• To detail its clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and current treatment challenges.
• To highlight recent research advancements and the connection with migraine.

Main Methods:

• This review synthesizes current scientific literature on visual snow syndrome.
• It focuses on neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and neurobehavioral studies.
• The review also examines the relationship between VSS and migraine.

Main Results:

• Visual snow syndrome presents with characteristic visual phenomena and associated symptoms.
• Understanding the underlying neural signature is a key focus of ongoing research.
• A significant link exists between visual snow syndrome and migraine.

Conclusions:

• Visual snow syndrome is increasingly recognized, necessitating further research into its mechanisms.
• Effective treatments remain challenging, underscoring the need to unravel biological pathways.
• Investigating the connection with migraine is crucial for advancing VSS understanding.