Charles Bonnett Syndrome
Charles Bonnett Syndrome (CBS) is a strange, little known and often under-diagnosed condition, which can affect people who suffer from visual impairment.
What are the symptoms?
Complex visual hallucinations that vary in severity from person to person - with some sufferers 'seeing' animals, complex coloured patterns or even whole buildings.
How do doctors describe it?
It has been likened to the 'phantom limb syndrome' - where people with missing limbs experience sensations as though the body parts are still present. Medical research tells us that the majority of people suffering from CBS are in the early stages of sight loss and the most common cause is macular degeneration.
What causes it?
Current research points to the possibility that the brain's pathways attempts to fill in obscured areas of vision. Or, as one St Dunstaner was told by our consultant ophthalmologist, it occurs when the brain becomes 'bored' and creates visual hallucinations.
Who is affected?
It can happen to anyone with sight loss. Sufferers are usually of healthy mind, but it can sometimes be mistaken for mental illness.
How can it be treated?
Some sufferers find they can 'banish their phantoms' by changing their environment in some way e.g. closing their eyes, turning lights on and off or increasing the lighting.
Please note that this article is for information purposes only. If you have any concerns about Charles Bonnett Syndrome, we recommend that you seek professional advice from your GP.
