Charles Bonnet syndrome
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Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is named after the Swiss naturalist Charles Bonnet. In 1760 he described a condition in which vivid, complex visual hallucinations (fictive visual percepts) occur in mentally healthy people. One characteristic of these hallucinations is that they usually are "lilliput hallucinations" (hallucinations in which the characters or objects may be smaller, larger, or regular size). He first documented it in his 89-year-old grandfather, who was nearly blind from cataracts in both eyes but perceived men, women, birds, carriages, buildings, tapestries, and scaffolding patterns.
Most who are affected by this are people with visual impairments due to old age, damage to the eyes or optic pathways. In particular, central vision loss due to a condition such as macular degeneration combined with peripheral vision loss from glaucoma may predispose to CBS, 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.[1]
This syndrome is well portrayed in Vilayanur S. Ramachandran's book Phantoms in the Brain.
[edit] References
- ^ Olbrich HM, Lodemann E, Engelmeier MP (1987). "[Optical hallucinations in the aged with diseases of the eye][Article in German]". Z Gerontol. 20 (4): 227-9. PMID 3660920.
[edit] External resources
- FAQ at RNIB
- Fortean Times article on Charles Bonnet syndrome
- 'Damn Interesting' article on Charles Bonnet syndrome
- Mentioned in a radio article on The Blindfold Study, which is looking at the brain's ability to adapt to different stimuli.
- National Public Radio article with an audio segment about Charles Bonnet syndrome
[edit] See also
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