No, the visual perception and interpretation of what is actually there is the problem and that lies fairly and squarely within the brain. By definition any optical illusion is the brain incorrectly interpreting the visual cues.
This type of whiteout, where texture cannot be defined, is observable when skiing in flat light - you don't see the bumps until you ski into them.
'Hidden' rideglines are also a problem on NVG (it is lack of depth perception and texture information again) - I encountered it last year in the Falklands (very dark) and was saved by the rad-alt.