Tragedy as dad, 47, dies after battling horrifying rare condition which makes people see snow

A loving dad tragically took his own life after being diagnosed with a rare condition which made him 'snow' and flashing lights all the time, an inquest heard.

Ian Price, 47, had been suffering from the neurological condition known as Visual Snow Syndrome, which severely affected his mental health.

The main symptom is seeing 'snow' or flickering dots and flashing lights all the time. An inquest at Warrington Coroner's Court heard that Ian had been reported missing by Cheshire Police before his body was found in a wooded area in Appleton, a quiet suburb of the town.

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His wife Lisa, who he'd been married to for 14 years, told the court that Ian had started showing symptoms of Covid-19 and tested positive on January 12 last year.

The virus led to him developing shingles and he began having problems with his eyesight, which caused him extreme worry, reports the Mirror.

As his worry got worse, so did his symptoms, the inquest was told. A specialist was consulted but couldn't explain the problem with his sight. However, by April 27, an eye doctor was able to diagnose Visual Snow Syndrome.

Ian had never heard of the condition, but became 'obsessed' with it. He started obsessively reading into it, leaving him "anxious, fearful and caused him to struggle to focus on positives. Reading further into it left him 'anxious, fearful and caused him to struggle to focus on positives'. His research lead him to the conclusion that there was no cure, squashing any hope he had of relief.

By May 8, the dad-of-two had made an attempt on his own life, leading to him being hospitalised. A mental health team spoke to him