A method for scintillation suppression of video images includes receiving a frame of pixels having intensity values and identifying pixels in the received frame having scintillation noise. The method modifies intensity values of pixels in the received frame, which are identified as having scintillation noise, and forms a filtered frame of pixels. The method counts the number of pixels modified in the filtered frame of pixels, and displays the filtered frame of pixels if the amount of pixels counted is less than a threshold value. The method displays the received frame of pixels, if the amount of modified pixels counted in the filtered frame of pixels is greater than the threshold value.