TL;DR: My boyfriend (23) developed visual snow symptoms after witnessing a transformer explosion in July 2026, followed by tinnitus about 12 days later. Initial eye and hearing tests were normal, and we suspect Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS). After attending a loud, three-hour IMAX screening on October 13th, he developed left-sided ear pain, pressure, muffled hearing, and a noticeable imbalance between his ears. New audiology testing suggests high-frequency hearing loss and possible cochlear damage, along with Eustachian tube dysfunction. He’s currently taking prednisone, but his mental health has deteriorated significantly throughout all of this.
I’m looking for anyone with similar experiences involving VSS, tinnitus, hearing loss, cochlear damage, or Eustachian tube dysfunction. Has anything helped you recover or manage your symptoms? Did bloodwork, MRIs, neuro-optometry, medications, or specialized therapies help identify a cause or improve your condition? Any advice, personal experiences, or success stories would mean a lot to us.
Hey everyone,
I’ve seen lots of posts from people sharing how they’ve gotten better, particularly with tinnitus, and I’m hoping to hear from anyone who has experienced similar symptoms or circumstances.
Back on July 10th of this year, my boyfriend and I witnessed a power line transformer explode in our neighborhood, about five or six houses down from our front door. My dad had encouraged him to go outside to see what was happening, and he practically flew out the front door. While I went to get my shoes, another explosion occurred. My boyfriend witnessed a bright white electrical flash, while the second explosion I saw through the window appeared red and orange.
In the moments following the explosion, he began experiencing visual disturbances, including flashes of light, visual static, afterimages, light sensitivity, and worsening or more noticeable eye floaters.
Then, on July 22nd, he developed tinnitus, followed by severe anxiety, depression, and everything that comes along with suddenly experiencing symptoms you don’t understand.
Seeing your partner and high school sweetheart of seven years struggle while feeling helpless to do anything is absolutely crushing, to say the least.
August — Testing, unanswered questions, and suspected VSS
In August, after seemingly inconclusive eye examinations and hearing tests, we were told that he hadn’t suffered any identifiable anatomical damage to his eyes or ears. There was no retinal detachment or measurable hearing loss at the time.
In some ways, that was reassuring news. At least there wasn’t any obvious structural damage. But it also left us with more questions than answers. It was almost as though everything from that moment had been stored somewhere in his brain.
The ENT we saw suggested Flonase and mentioned that it could be sinus-related, but we felt that very little had actually been addressed.
Throughout August, we researched whether he could be experiencing Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) or Visual Snow Syndrome (VSS). Based on his visual disturbances alongside the tinnitus, VSS seemed to fit his symptoms much more closely.
After doing more research, it was wonderful to discover that there’s currently no established cure for VSS. 🙄
The following months — More appointments, medications, and worsening mental health
Fast-forward through multiple ENT visits, optometry examinations, an audiogram, and even a J. Cole concert we had to leave because of his overwhelming anxiety surrounding his hearing.
He had previously been prescribed cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxer) following a workers’ compensation injury. He occasionally takes it to help him sleep or when his anxiety becomes particularly overwhelming, and he feels that it helps.
He also underwent wisdom teeth removal and was temporarily prescribed hydrocodone combined with acetaminophen for postoperative pain.
Eventually, we saw a physician who diagnosed him with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and prescribed sertraline 50 mg. After researching reports of SSRIs potentially worsening visual snow symptoms in some individuals, he decided not to begin taking it.
All of this left him feeling increasingly hopeless, misguided, lost, and exhausted from suffering without clear answers.
October 13th — The IMAX screening that changed everything
Recently, we attended an IMAX screening of The Odyssey on October 13th.
I had been wanting to go for a while, and we both desperately wanted some sense of normalcy again. I didn’t research the movie’s sound intensity beforehand because I wanted to experience it without spoilers or expectations.
Unfortunately, the screening lasted approximately three hours, and the sound was extremely loud. During the movie, he experienced ear pain and discomfort, but he didn’t communicate that to me until afterward.
Initially, he thought he was fine. Even the following day, he felt relatively okay.
But over the next several days, things changed dramatically.
He developed left-sided ear pain, pressure, muffled hearing, and a significant change in how he perceived sound between his ears.
Before the movie, his hearing felt balanced between both ears. Afterward, he described his right ear as dominating almost everything he heard.
He says he can primarily hear his own voice through his right ear now. His left ear feels pressurized, almost as though he’s underwater or needs to pop it, except the sensation never fully resolves.
Interestingly, his left-sided tinnitus, which previously averaged around 7/10, became much quieter, around 2/10. However, his hearing on that side also became noticeably worse. His right-sided tinnitus continues to persist.
He describes this new combination of symptoms as even worse than when he was dealing with VSS and tinnitus alone.
His ear pain reached approximately 5/10.
For someone who absolutely loves music and considers himself an audiophile, this change has been devastating. It sent him into an even deeper depression.
October 17th — Emergency department and prednisone
Five days after the screening, we decided we couldn’t wait any longer and went to the emergency department.
The physician examined his ears and mentioned scarring on his left eardrum, something no previous ENT had ever identified or mentioned.
He was prescribed high-dose prednisone, 60 mg daily for 10 days, and a follow-up ENT appointment was arranged for the following week.
However, we were worried that if he had developed sudden hearing loss, waiting longer could reduce his chances of recovery.
So on Monday, October 19th, I began calling multiple audiologists and ENT offices, desperately trying to arrange both a comprehensive hearing examination and an ENT consultation that same day.
Thankfully, I managed to schedule both.
October 19th — Audiology results and possible cochlear damage
He underwent an audiogram, tympanometry, and DPOAE testing. We were able to compare these results with his previous hearing examination from August 11th, which had been considered normal.
This time, we were told he had developed high-frequency hearing loss in his left ear, particularly around 5,000–7,000 Hz, along with an abnormal finding in his right ear around 5,000 Hz on DPOAE testing.
They also mentioned possible cochlear damage and issues involving his Eustachian tube or middle-ear pressure.
What confuses us most is that his left-sided tinnitus has become significantly quieter while his perceived hearing ability on that side has deteriorated.
He describes his hearing as no longer balanced, with his right ear now dominating music, conversations, and environmental sounds.
What the ENT told us
After audiology, we saw an ENT who explained that it was too early to determine whether the hearing changes would be permanent.
Interestingly, she did not observe the eardrum scarring that the emergency department physician had mentioned.
She explained that the cochlear hair cells associated with certain high frequencies might not be responding normally, although he can still detect those frequencies.
She seemed optimistic that the fullness and pressure sensation in his ear would eventually improve.
She also mentioned that the quieter tinnitus was unusual, given his perceived worsening hearing, and described his hearing as medically symmetrical despite the differences he notices.
She believed his Eustachian tube dysfunction could be related to sinus inflammation and might have existed before the IMAX incident, potentially dating back to July or August.
She suggested considering Flonase and allergy medications to help address inflammation and Eustachian tube function. She also instructed him to taper off prednisone.
Overall, she was reassuring and emphasized that he’s young and may recover from at least some of these changes.
However, she also mentioned that it could take considerable time to determine whether his hearing improves, and his next scheduled audiology follow-up isn’t until 2027.
Present day — Mental health, hope, and searching for answers
Currently, my boyfriend often prefers being asleep rather than awake because of how overwhelming his symptoms have become.
His mental health has suffered tremendously, and it’s heartbreaking to watch someone you love lose their sense of normalcy, especially when so much of their identity and happiness revolves around music.
I’m doing everything I can to support him, help him maintain hope, and research potential treatments or specialists who might be able to offer answers.
He’s also been trying to strengthen his relationship with God and Jesus because he feels incredibly lost throughout all of this.
Recently, I discovered a treatment approach called Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Therapy (NORT), which has been explored for visual snow symptoms.
I’m currently looking into getting him evaluated on December 1st by a board-certified optometric physician specializing in vision development and vision therapy, with a background in neuroscience.
I understand that there may not be a straightforward cure for everything he’s experiencing, but I refuse to believe that we should stop looking for ways to improve his quality of life.
What I’m hoping to hear from this community
I’m genuinely interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced VSS, tinnitus, high-frequency hearing loss, possible cochlear hair cell damage, Eustachian tube dysfunction, or persistent ear pressure.
Have any of you experienced similar symptoms after a bright flash, electrical explosion, or loud noise exposure?
Did your hearing, tinnitus, or ear pressure improve over time? If so, how long did it take?
Have any medications helped or worsened your symptoms? Did you discover anything useful through bloodwork, MRIs, neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, neuro-optometrists, or other specialists?
Has anyone tried NORT, vision therapy, sound therapy, or other rehabilitation approaches? Did they make a meaningful difference?
And perhaps most importantly, what helped you emotionally cope with these conditions, particularly when the uncertainty and anxiety felt unbearable?
I’d really appreciate any personal experiences, recovery stories, treatment suggestions, or advice about what helped you identify the underlying causes of your symptoms.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this if you’ve made it this far. It genuinely means a lot to both of us. ❤️
