Charles Bonnet syndrome—elderly people and visual hallucinations

Visual Hallucinations: Charles Bonnet Syndrome

The following is a case of Charles Bonnet syndrome in an 86-year-old woman who presented with visual hallucinations. The differential diagnosis of visual hallucinations is broad and emergency physicians should be knowledgeable of the possible etiologies.

Cases: Charles Bonnet syndrome: visual loss and hallucinations.

69-year-old man presented to his doctor with complaints of visual hallucinations that first occurred 6 months before presentation. He reported having hallucinations most evenings. He saw the faces of people, odd shapes, animals and a spider, which he had tried to kill. He also reported seeing people that he knew sitting in the armchair next to his night table. The patient had no history of mood...

Relating Simple and Complex Visual Hallucinations in Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Vision loss and visual hallucinations: the Charles Bonnet syndrome

Around half the people presenting with acquired severe sight loss will at some point experience visual hallucinations. This is a little-known fact, not only amongst patients, but also amongst a significant number of health and eye care professionals. The condition is known as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) and is named after the naturalist who first described this phenomenon in 1759. Although vi...

Visual Hallucinations (Charles Bonnet Syndrome) Associated with Neurosarcoidosis

The Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) refers to lucid and complex visual hallucinations in cognitively normal patients with acquired vision loss. It can be associated with any type of vision loss including that related to macular degeneration, corneal disease, diabetic retinopathy, and occipital infarct. Neurosarcoidosis, a multi-systemic inflammatory granulomatous disease affecting both the centra...