Hello I joined due to a visual condition

Hello everyone, I've known this forum before from searches. Didn't feel the need to participate until now due to temporary visual issues whose nature I can't find anywhere in the internet so I've joined.

I've been having these strange visual artifacts whenever I wake up in the middle of the night. I've already looked everywhere in the internet and can't find anything remotely similar. All I came across are "floaters", "flashes" which isn't the one I'm seeing, not even remotely.

The visual artifacts or hallucinations looks like very thin, hundreds of long black strings that wriggle and oscillate wildly in and out of objects.

They look almost like the oscillating audio visualization of music in digital media players but it only comes in one color - black and only manifests among isolated objects like furniture, pillows, etc.

They are not floaters because these "strings" stick around objects and they move very rapidly in complex undulating patterns. I do have floaters but they don't look nor move like the "strings" at all, not even remotely and my floaters are not visible at night in low light conditions. I've asked around already in different forums and they have no idea either

I'm not dreaming it either as I do often wake up in the middle of the night to chat with my overseas clients so I have online record of me waking up at a certain time. These things I'm seeing are certainly NOT physical entities. I've always tried catching these strings but my hand goes through like nothing is there.

Ironically, the only thing that comes remotely similar in appearance is the alien symbiote in the film "Venom" where the alien assumes a black shapeless form surrounded by many stringy filaments. It can be quite spooky first thing you see when you wake up as they can look like hundreds of long-legged spiders running around your pillow but on closer look, they are nothing more than hundreds of black strings wildly wriggling about.

It does concern me about the similarities to the fictional movie counterpart since the fictional alien can figuratively represent a paranormal possession by a supernatural or spirit entity. These "strings" seem to have afinity towards individual objects and living things and I've seen them going in and out of my hands and legs.

It could all be "waking up hallucination" and nothing more. But why wriggly black strings in and out of things?? Who else is having the same hallucinations?

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

'm not dreaming it either as I do often wake up in the middle of the night to chat with my overseas clients so I have online record of me waking up at a certain time. These things I'm seeing are certainly NOT physical entities. I've always tried catching these strings but my hand goes through like nothing is there.

Retina burn? I get it from using the smartphone at night, like checking the time. I also get it from brake lights during dusk and dawn mostly, and it will move with my eyeballs. Sometimes I can even make out what was on the screen and it's over layed until it wears out after a couple of seconds.

About it being hallucination, could be but does not have to. It depends on if you just have the feeling something is there, or if your mind really tricks you into seeing it. Does the perception of sound of any kind disturb what you see? I ask because when I started discovering Synesthesia, after understanding that it's the senses, I started to see overlays of patterns between things. That was strange because before I would only see this with closed eyes while hearing music. This was around this time two years ago. Golden strings that reveal for example distance relationships between knobs on a stereo system. I didn't see them so it happened a level deeper than visual hallucination happens.

I got it checked as I had the opportunity. They did an EEG with sensory tests, I tried to get them to put me into a sensory depriviation tank and maybe measure it while I am in there. Okay I really just wanted to try out the deprivation tank but they told me it's ancient, has not been on for years and insurance blablabla.

Okay long story short, what I experienced, the theory goes like this: It was an overload on my hypothalamus. It connects your senses and in my case it connects almost all of them together naturally. Some imbalance led to overlapping in a different kind of way. That's why I see sound and could taste pain, sounds crazy right? But it isn't. It's common for 10-15 people out of 100. Just don't know it's not normal until someone stumbles over sentences like "That band aid ripping off is the same pain like strawberry tastes, is it for you too?" and the other person is like "um... what the hell are you talking about?"

Maybe similar to your reaction now reading this.



Add: Oh an welcome to ATS of course

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

tell your doctor and ask if an MRI is a good idea.

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Hi!
I dont like to be that guy but it may be a well known medical condition. Reason to visit a doc even.
On the other hand...I used to clearly see large insect some time ago when waking up really fast from REM sleep.
My theory was residues of that chemical starting with D suspected from allowing us to hallucinate dreams. Certain herbs can potentiate it or deal with it. I was using a lot of weird herbs back then. Trying to lucid dream and so. I used sleep on two pistons since leaving the military. Someone would sneak around and I'd jump up. Maybe try Cannabis. CBD kind maybe. It kills the dreams and also high pressure in the eyes (anecdotally)

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Have you had your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist or minimally an optometrist? One of the tests they will do is to check the retinal pressure of your eyeballs. Early stages of Glaucoma can cause what you describe.

Rather than try to diagnose your condition here on ATS, I'd strongly recommend you go see an ophthalmologist.

If they don't find anything abnormal or unusual then you should make an appointment with a neurologist and potentially get an MRI based on their guidance. Brain tumors can also exhibit some of the symptoms you describe.

Bottom line...go see a professional.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

It reads like what people experience when ingesting the mold acids and that chemical starting with L. Seeing music and stuff like that. Dissolved wiring. Cannabis can put that to sleep too. The endo-cannabinoid system overrides many neurotransmitters at once. Just like the acid I mentioned does. I suspect MAO inhibitors. Even the weak ones in coffee, tea and elsewhere. They were giving me headaches when I combined Tribulus, Siberian Ginseng etc with tyramin from seasoned stuff like cheese with blue mold etc. Nasty headaches similar to caffeine withdrawal.

With untreated Glaucoma you'll only go blind for the rest of your life, but with a brain tumor not only will you go blind for the rest of your life, the rest of your life might be very short...and you'll die blind.

Cheerful thoughts, huh? Hardly! Irregular vision issues are not something to mess around with. Your eyes are the window into your brain and central nervous system. They are very often early indicators of more serious physiological problems.

a reply to: PapagiorgioCZ
If your first sentence is aimed towards my post and not the OP, I can guarantee you that there were no drugs involved because I have this since like forever.

As a kid I could taste pain. It's called Synesthesia and is not a sickness but a different kind of perception. If you have got that audio-visual feedback loop doing what you describe, you are very close to my experience.

I shared it because it read similar to what I experienced. Both the retina burn and the Synesthesia.

I never did any chemical drugs and will not in future, just wanted to clear that up

Welcome to ATS. Leaving with more questions than answers 🙂

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Have you looked up ocular migraine or retinal migraine.
Look up pics on google and see if it is what you are experiencing.

I had the most bizarre squiggles like an old tv set, ocular migraine!
The eye doctor told me he's seeing tons of people for it now, likely due to stress.

Right so you have a problem with your eyes so you joined a conspiracy site.

you tried visiting a eye doc?

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Not sure where you are but I had similar, saw my GP and was referred to hospital urgently.
Saw an Opthalmologist who diagnosed a torn retina. Had black floaty cobwebs and black dots.
Had immediate laser surgery to repair it. NHS was brilliant.
Don't leave it, see a doc or risk blindness.
Still have cobwebby things but apparently your brain learns to filter them out.
Oh, and welcome to ATS!

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Well..this is not the place for sound medical advice, but..an observation?

Only when you wake? And FROM sleep? During?
Do they wake you?
Any other time(s)?

Quite a few variables a specialist can direct you in the right way to approach your questions that satisfy you.

I understand "synesthesia"... being a sensitive (similarity).

I suggest only? If lifelong? Explore all options. Seek competence in adv ice from all, in all.

Peace
EMT/Resp.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

Yep it's the senses all interconnected that if we go by statistics, is a bit freaky to read for others and not something common to arrive at. I don't think its that but I threw it in. I throw it into posts often so if someone reading it it might make *click* and they are able to discover this gift and curse to the fullest.

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Welcome to the asylum

You have come to the right place, over there is the wannabe doctors section, we had to expand it for the second time since 2020...

Seriously though go to a professional

hi and welcome

look up the term "visual snow".
What you describe sounds a lot like what I have. Some eye doctors still hold on to the belief that this is some kind of ocular migraine. But it has basically been ruled out that it is anything like that.
Just a few years ago a group called The visual snow initiative was founded. They have their youtube channels with lots of interesting info on the research.
they found out that people with these visual disturbances have trouble filtering out information in the brain.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

Welcome to the ThunderDome.

Speak to your physician.

Might be neurological.

If it is hallucinations, the specificity is interesting.

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

I'm no doctor and this is not medical advice, but look at ocular migraines. First one I ever had was while I was also experiencing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The combination scared the hell out of me and I really thought I was about to die. Ended up just being two harmless conditions that happened to coincide.

What you describe doesn't sound like a classical ocular migrane, but then it's happening at night in the dark so that may be affecting your perception. Mine look like what's shown at about the 1:09 mark on the video embedded below, though it's usually a string of them and they are triangular shaped in kind of a zig-zag pattern. I actually didn't know what they were until a friend at church mentioned he was having one and I asked what it was. He explained it to me and it was exactly what I'd experienced. Happens to me every couple of months, usually lasts no longer than about 30 minutes and has never been accompanied by any pain, just sometimes a slight sense of disorientation due to the visual impairment.



Some links from the Mayo Clinic...

Ocular Migraine

From WebMD...

Again, YYMV, and this may not be what you are experiencing. Just something to consider. And I concur with what everyone else has said; see a doctor if you are concerned.

:

a reply to: aviyyyyzzz

It might help to read any material concerning a delta state of mind.
When waking from sleep, moving from a delta to eventually an
alpha state, your agency-detection mechanisms may discern.

I wont try to label what you're seeing, as many people have
different experiences. Some of us have experienced what
might be termed shadow people.

Decent read if you're willing. Darkness Walks: The Shadow
People Among Us by Jason Offutt

I do find it interesting, only people heavy in the occult
seem to testify to the veracity of the supernatural.
Everyone else will send you to a Doctor.

Regardless, I wish you well in your search for an answer.

You need to go to your Doc, not be asking on here. I know you probably don't wanna hear that but it's Important, and I am speaking as someone who also has messed up eyes.

I can't focus very well, so almost everything looks slightly blurred to me, Glasses help a little but they don't solve the whole problem. I have been through tests, nothing found, have to go for some deeper tests soon and hopefully they find a cause and can help or at least tell me it won't worsen.

Seriously, don't take your eyes for granted.