Charles Bonnet Syndrome

People with Macular Degeneration

may see things that aren’t really there.

Here’s what’s happening.

It’s very common for people with macular degeneration to have visual hallucinations, they see things that aren’t really there. This may occur in as many as half of people with a significant vision loss from macular degeneration or some other condition. Don’t worry, it’s not the result of dementia, Alzheimers or some other mental illness.

I’m Dr. Dave Armstrong. I’m a low vision optometrist in Virginia. People come to me for help with their impaired vision. They want to see the very best that they are capable of so they can remain active and independent. The majority of the people who I help have macular degeneration. Others have Stargardt Disease, diabetic retinopathy or other conditions that damage their vision.

Today, I want to help you understand the visual hallucinations. There’s actually a name for it, Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Although it’s very common, it is not well understood. Charles Bonnet Syndrome is most often experienced by the elderly who have lost a significant amount of their vision.

Symptoms include:

Visual hallucinations which the person is not able to control. But they are aware that what they are seeing is not real.

The hallucinations can take many different forms. They may be patterns. They are sometimes pleasant, sometimes scary. Full color or black and white. Moving or stable. They may even take the form of a person or an animal.

These strange images can be frightening and may make it difficult to walk or do other activities.

Sometimes moving to a different location or changing the lighting will stop the hallucination. Charles Bonnet Syndrome usually goes away in a year or so.

The most important thing to understand is that the hallucinations seen by people with reduced vision are common and not caused by mental illness. It is important to tell your eye doctor if you have hallucinations. The doctor can confirm that they are Charles Bonnet and can reassure you.

If your vision is impaired from macular degeneration or some other condition and you’d like to see better give me a call. I’ve helped many people with vision loss maximize their vision and improve their quality of life. Call me at 866 321-2030