Charles Bonnet syndrome
Overview
Charles Bonnet syndrome is a conditionwhere you see things that are not real (hallucinations).It can happen if you've lost a lotof your sight.It's not caused by a mental health problem or dementia.
Symptoms
The main symptom of Charles Bonnet syndrome is seeing things that are not real (hallucinations) after losing a lot of your sight. It's often linked to eye conditions such asage-related macular degenerationorcataracts. The hallucinations can: be patterns such as shapes or linesbe of people, animals, objects or placesbe moving or stillbe in black and white or colourhappen suddenlylast for a few minutes or several hours The hallucinations are only things you see. You do not hear, smell or feel things that are not there. Most people with Charles Bonnet syndrome know the hallucinations are not real.
Causes
Charles Bonnet syndrome is linked to vision loss. When you lose your sight, your brain gets less information from your eyes than it's used to. Your brain sometimes makes up for this by creating hallucinations. Not everyone who loses their sight will get Charles Bonnet syndrome. You're more likely to get it if: your sight suddenly gets worseyou lose sight in both eyes It's common in people who have eye conditions such asage-related macular degenerationorcataracts. Charles Bonnet syndrome is not caused by a mental health problem ordementia.
Treatment
There's currently no cure for Charles Bonnet syndrome, but over time the hallucinations usually happen less often. If you're finding the hallucinations upsetting, speak to a GP. They can refer you fortalking therapythat can help with hallucinations.