Meet Our

Warrior of the Week

These inspiring individuals with Visual Snow Syndrome are sharing their experiences living with this condition and how they try their best to overcome its symptoms everyday.

Spotlight on:

Visual Snow Warrior of the Week – Kevin Marcaida

Spotlight on: Kevin Marcaida ????

“Hello, my name is Kevin Marcaida. I’m a Neuroscientist at Imperial College London and Investor in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals. My story started in 2019 on a trip to NYC. Before the onset, I experienced severe jetlag from the 8-hour flight from London, and because of this, I couldn’t sleep for more than 3 hours at a time. I began to experience symptoms gradually – I first noticed glimpses of VS on a casual nature hike in Long Island. When glancing up at the forest canopy, I saw flashes of bright colours followed by afterimages of the sun. At first, I didn’t think too much of this. However, after a few dysregulated nights of sleep, the symptoms became more pronounced. Near the end of the trip, I managed to get my first proper night’s rest. However, upon waking, the symptoms I experienced became permanent and was accompanied by white ‘static’ overlaying my visual field.

What I find very frustrating about VSS is the lack of medical insight, especially in the clinics. I had several consultations with General Practitioners, with each visit being turned away or receiving the typical ‘anxiety’ diagnosis. Irritated by these experiences, I decided to investigate the symptoms myself. Given my background as a Biomedical Scientist, I quickly found several research journals and an entire community dedicated to VSS. Whilst I wasn’t too pleased with the research findings, I was at least happy to know that other people understand and are working hard to find solutions – eventually inspiring me to take an interest in Neuroscience.

At the end of the day, I do not let my disorder define who I am and what I can accomplish. However, I acknowledge that it’s part of me forever – and that’s perfectly fine. I always believe that it’s best to see both the good and the bad in experiences, no matter the situation. It’s ultimately just a matter of perception.”

Share this Story

Share Your Story

Become VSI’s next Warrior of the Week!

Each week, VSI shares the stories of people with Visual Snow Syndrome from around the world.

Share this Story
More Warriors

Latest Warriors of the Week

Be Part of the Solution

Support Visual Snow Research

Your generous tax-deductible donation ensures we can continue to generate awareness, education, resources, patient advocacy, treatments, and research to help people affected by Visual Snow Syndrome worldwide.