What is Charles Bonnet Syndrome?

Visual release hallucinations also known as Charles bonnet syndrome CBS is the experience of complex visual hallucinations in a person with partial or severe blindness first described by Charles Bonnet in 1760. It was first introduced into english-speaking psychiatry in 1982 mentally healthy people with significant vision loss may have vivint complex recurrent visual hallucinations.

Fitz's visual percepts one characteristic of these hallucinations is that they usually are lilliputian hallucinations in which the characters or objects are smaller than normal.

The most common hallucination is the faces are cartoons sufferers understand that the hallucinations are not real and the hallucinations are only visual that is they do not occur in any other senses .

For example hearing smell or taste among older adults greater than 65 years with significant vision loss.

The prevalence of Charles bonnet syndrome has been reported to be between 10% and 40%.

A recent Australian study has found the prevalence to be 17.5% to asian studies. However report a much lower prevalence  the high incidence of non reporting of this disorder is the greatest hindrance to determining the exact prevalence non-reporting is thought to be a result of sufferers being afraid to discuss the symptoms out of fear that they will be labelled.

What does the person see 

Insane people suffering from CBS may experience a wide variety of hallucinations. Images of complex colored patterns and images of people are most common followed by animals and plants or inanimate objects.

The hallucinations also often fit into the person surroundings.

CBS predominantly affects people with visual Chairman's due to old age diabetes or other damage to the eyes or optic pathways.

In particular central loss due to a condition such as macular degeneration combined with peripheral vision loss from Glaucoma Maitri disposed to see the S although most people with such deficits do not develop the syndrome.

The syndrome can also develop after bilateral optic nerve damage due to methyl alcohol poisoning.

There is no treatment of proven effectiveness for CBS.

Some people experience CBs for anywhere from a few days up to may years and these hallucinations can last only a few seconds or continue for most of the day.

For those experiencing CBS knowing that they are suffering from this syndrome and not a mental illness seems to be the best treatment so far as it improves their ability to cope with the hallucinations.

Most people with CBS meet their hallucinations with indifference but they can still be disturbing because they may interfere with daily life interrupting vision for a short time by closing the eyes or blinking is sometimes helpful because there is no prescribed treatment.

The first starting place is to reassure the CBS sufferer of their sanity and some charities provide specialist hallucination counselling buddies. 

People who have had CBS or of CBS and are no longer fazed by it to talk to on the telephone sometimes it is carers or physicians that need advice and guidance. The physician will consider on a case-by-case basis whether to treat any depression or other problens that may be related to CBS.

A recent case report suggests selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be helpful.