Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Charles Bonnet Syndrome is the name of a condition that results in people seeing things that they know really are not there. A person may "see" people, objects, or animals. Or they may see patterns of things. It is most commonly experienced by older people who have had severe loss of vision, including those with macular degeneration.

This condition was identified by a Swiss philosopher named Charles Bonnet in 1760. His grandfather was almost blind, yet would state that he saw people, figures, buildings and birds which he knew were not there.

Symptoms

√ be colored or black and white

√ be images of people, animals, buildings, plants or trees

√ be pattterns such as mosaics or lines

√ occur suddenly

√ last a few seconds, a few minutes or a couple of hours

√ vary greatly with each individual lasting a couple of weeks or a couple of years

√ go into remission spontaneously

√ can be misdiagnosed as early dementia or psychosis

Treatment

1) Reassurance that this is not a mental disorder can be enough for some people.

2) Pharmacologic (drug) therapy for those who are greatly distrubed by the hallucinations

Some helpful tips that have worked for others are:

1) Make a change from your current situation - turn on the light if it is off or turn off the light if it is on

2) Try blinking your eyes

3) Increase lighting in the home

4) Reduce your isolation and increase your interpersonal contacts

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