Amber is a student at McGill University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. Her aspirations include researching the abnormalities in the brain’s circuitry observed in visual snow syndrome and various mental illnesses. She hopes to contribute to the development of more effective treatments for such disorders.
Amber experienced her visual snow syndrome (VSS) onset in early 2019, accompanied by debilitating levels of health anxiety, later diagnosed as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). VSS first showed itself as a “static” over her visual field, later progressing to ocular migraines, palinopsia (after images), and floaters. This brought on a bout of panicked searching for an explanation, which led her to discover the Visual Snow Initiative (VSI) in late 2019.
Maurice
Being the only person that she knew with VSS was isolating, so it was a relief to know that there was a community providing resources for those with VSS. Now having learnt to better manage her VSS and GAD symptoms, she finds that connecting with others has been the greatest help in her mental wellness journey.
Significant life changes entailed a great deal of stress that was helped immensely when she adopted her best feline friend, Maurice. His charming and loving personality has had a significant impact on Amber’s life, being a great source of companionship, sense of responsibility, and laughter!