Anyone here has the eye fuzzies?

[Kjesta]

My whole family has glasses and I’m no exception - so far, so good, artists with glasses aren’t really rare. Problem is, I’ve got a bit of a different eyesight trouble too. Whenever I look at a surface, I see all those tiny “light particles” spazzing around, like the kind of “snow” you see on TV sometimes when it doesn’t work, just like a very faint overlay. (I’m really struggling here, guys. Descriptions suck.) It’s especially bad on dark surfaces, which is also why my night vision sucks.

This makes it pretty hard for me at times to actually see tiny graduations and differences in value, especially on very dark and very light things. I’m not trying to blame my poor value work on my eyes, I know that with practice and study I’ll do better, but I was simply wondering if anyone else here has that trouble and how they deal with it. I’ve been told it’s because the brain expects to see movement where there is none, and so it adds movement itself. Frankly no idea if that’s true, but it sounds reasonable. My optometrist also said that it exists, so I don’t have the brain fuzzies (was really scared there for a while), but that still doesn’t help me much.

Any other people here with annoying eyesight, and how do you actually do those more subtle values? Because I just fail to see them, everything’s just a bit busy with those fuzzy dots.

Yup, whine/rant over. Thanks for listening ;) Let’s get back to some value work.

Kjesta

[the ANGRY filipino]

I got vision "floaters"...basically some dark spots ( not really spots...more like particles)..floating around.
The best way to describe it is to say it's like looking through a window that has some dirt on it.

I have to really concentrate on what I'm looking at and I can ignore the floaters...but as seen as I look somewhere else, I see them again...repeat cycle.

very very irritating condition to have.

[The man with no name]

I got vision "floaters"...basically some dark spots ( not really spots...more like particles)..floating around.
The best way to describe it is to say it's like looking through a window that has some dirt on it.

I have to really concentrate on what I'm looking at and I can ignore the floaters...but as seen as I look somewhere else, I see them again...repeat cycle.

very very irritating condition to have.

Got the same thing in my right eye, man it's annoying, it's worse when it's sunny,Happened when I got elbowed in the eye playing footy in primary school, but I guess if you don't think of them they kinda fade away temporarily....

Edit: I get those sparly particles when I have low blood sugar, looks like silver glitter kinda, but thats a rare occurance, and the only time I get them, sorry if I was of no help

[Kjesta]

Yeah, I think I've got a few of those too. I don't really find it hard to ignore those though, because after a while I just zoom them out I guess.

Good to know I'm not the only one with weird eyesight @_@

[Brushcommander]

I've got them too. Sucks but oh well.

[Elwell]

Kjesta--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow
http://www.visualsnow.com/
I don't have it, but know someone who does.

[Ardescoere]

I read somewhere that in artists it is more prevalent than anywhere else. I'm not sure why but I read some sort of article about it. Was interesting... I'm going to see if I can dig it up for you.

[arttorney]

OK, I feel your pain to the extent that I have myopia, astigmatism, and I am so old that my coke bottle glasses also have to be bifocals. I know it can be frustrating to have weird vision but you can use your vision for the positive. Albert P. Ryder was half blinded by scarlet fever as a boy and went on to produce some of the most brooding and poetical paintings ever produced, (at least by a United Statesian). He literally saw things in a different way than the rest of us but got pretty good at expressing his vision.

I'm fond of "Toilers of the Sea" myself.

[The7Artist7]

Me too - little particles in my eyes... first noticed them when I was a young kid laying on my back in a field. Looking up at the blue sky and could see this little 'snake' that was made up of little cells joined in a line. Over the years it's changed around a bit and I barely notice it 99.9% of the time - when I do I get really frustrated trying to 'look' at it as it always drifts off to the side... gah! Assuming I got damage in my eye at some point as the last few years I've got a few more but have been staying up for hours into the early hours staring at my Mac's screen a lot.

I also need glasses but am the only one out of 3 brothers and a sister. we're all very artistic but I guess I'm the only one to make a living out of it... :painting:

Anyways - all the best and hope you find a way to reduce or cure it :)

[IKV Nexis]

Yea I'v had floaters for a long while now. The ones that realy irritate are the bright rainbow ones. They look like those undersea pics of plankton with the shiny cillia(SP?). Just recently I'v started to get the bright spots the OP has. This I beleave is from my diabetis.

[J Wilson]

I've got floaters in my left eye. Thankfully, none are dead center, just a couple off to the side. For me, easy to ignore. I can go weeks without thinking about them. Mostly see them when looking at a good sized expanse of light color, like a bright cloudless sky, or a large white wall. For me it looks mostly like I've got a hair across my vision, too close to be in focus. It sucks knowing that there is a problem with my vision and it can't really be corrected as far as I know, but artists have dealt with worse, so I'll llive.

[Dr. Tyrell]

No snow here, but I have floaters big time. They drive me absolutely nuts. One thing I have noticed and my eye doctor has told me this as well is that lack of sleep really aggravates the floaters and makes them appear more frequently. Don't know if the same goes for snow, but it's worth a try.

I do get snow sometimes when I stand up quickly or when I get sudden blood rushes to the head. If you're really worried about it, get your blood pressure checked as I know this can be one of its main causes.

[Kjesta]

Kjesta--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_snow
http://www.visualsnow.com/
I don't have it, but know someone who does.

You're officially my hero. Never thought I'd ever find the real name for it!

arttorney, that's really cool there :) I don't feel like I won't be a good artist someday just because of my eyes, I can still see after all, it's just a little annoying. I simply keep telling myself that Beethoven did his best stuff when he was deaf already :P And on TV I've seen a documentary of a guy who was blind and still did drawings in perspective and all, that was pretty cool.

IKV Nexis, in rainbow colours? :wtf: That sounds like it'd be really irritating! My snow has faint traces of colour sometimes, but like, real colour?

[Jazz]

Oh yeah, Kjesta! I only recently realized that I've had floaters in my eyes for years. Now, my eyesight's never been good, but I never thought those funny particles were actually in my eyes! I always thought that I just happened to see the same shape of a certain particle in my left eye just because. :P

I'm far-sighted, but the particles look pretty clear considering that. >_<;; Still, it's not too much a bother because my friendly neighbourhood floaters have been with me through life. :heart: How kind of 'em.

[Noa K]

everybody's got floaters. these are usually specs of dust stuck in the layer of tears surrounding the eye. if you see "snow" or blinking tiny dots, (usually more noticable when looking on colour-solid surfaces) most of the time it's a sign of dehidration, so drink up a bottle of water first.

BUT - if you see tiny "lights" at the corner of the eye, or worse, blind spots go immidiatly to an eye doctor! these could be early signs of seperation of the retina from the eye. if found in early stages the treatment is simple - eye drops. but if it's cought too late, you might lose the eyesight, and you might not even notice it becase it's gradual..
the only reason I know this is because i've experienced those "lights" last week, and lived in fear of losing my eyesight for three days until got checked by two doctors (had to have a second opinion). glad to say everything is fine for that matter...

if you have THOSE symptoms, go immidiately to a doc. the check is very simple and quick, and you'll save yourself alot of anxiety.

[Sekino]

Reminds me of the eye migraines I would experience. For the longest time, I had no idea what they were. I'd suddenly get a shimmery blind spot in my field of vision. It would get larger and I would have trouble seeing half of everything (especially striking with people's faces). It was like a static cloud hovering within my eyes for an hour or so.

I was a tad worried it was perhaps some kind of eye or neurological damage until I read an artist's blog where she drew on pictures how she saw the world during an eye migraine. It was exactly what I saw so I was quite relieved. That was years ago so her pics are unfortunately long gone. As long as I get good sleep, I don't get them as often anymore.

I hope you find a treatment for your visual snow issue. It must be so irritating for an artist :(

[MidgardSerpent]

One thing I have noticed and my eye doctor has told me this as well is that lack of sleep really aggravates the floaters and makes them appear more frequently.
That would explain a lot. For the past 6 months I've pretty much regularly stayed up till at least 3 am and during this year period I've really, really started to notice eyefloaters.

[DeadlyFreeze]

Everyone has them.... everyone.

If it actually affects your vision then you either have OCD or another problem.

[Crass]

I have some of that. It doesn't really bother me though.

[alesoun]

Eye migraines! The zig-zag C shape. I sat my Higher Art exam with one of them. The only way you can focus is sort of out of the corner of your eye (not looking directly at something). Oh, the joys! And I still get them as a reaction to stress once the stress has passed.....

[Morgan_R]

Good to finally know what this is called. I've occasionally tried to describe it to people and gotten funny looks. :P

[Demo]

yes everyone has them i tried to find the Family Guy reference that perfectly describe it but i got this which is still way too funny not to post again.
watch the whole thing the animation turned me off at the beginning but it is definitely perfectly done

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[LORD M]

I have had visual snow for several years, one day it just popped up, and I don't know why or how I got it. It can get quite irritating, because everything I see is in virtual snow, it's like everything is made up from microscopic particles that move around extremely fast. But I don't wear glasses and my doctor say I got the vision of a hawk, so I am very confused about it all.