Charles Bonnet's syndrome, what is it

Charles Bonnet syndrome is a condition present in some people when They lose part of the vision, which leads them to suffer from hallucinations.

Content

• What is Charles Bonnet syndrome?
• Charles Bonnet syndrome symptoms
  • Suggestions
  • Bibliography

What is Charles Bonnet syndrome?

Author Reolid Martínez, in his study on Charles Bonnet syndrome, points out that this is characterized by the appearance of complex, elaborate and persistent visual hallucinations, in healthy elderly patients, without cognitive deterioration, who have a visual deficit.

Charles Bonnet's syndrome was initially described by the Swiss philosopher Chales Bonnet, in 1769, taking as a case of his own grandfather, Charles Lullin, who was 89 year old and suffered from a chronic visual deterioration, produced by the cataracts , which made him experience hallucinatory phenomena.

This is a clinical picture in which visual hallucinations predominate, which can be simple or complex, The latter being the most frequent and structured as people with faces in motion and colors.

Although they do not produce a functional inability, these hallucinations can be annoying and negatively impact on the quality of life of the suffering of them.

Currently, they are presented with Increase in the elderly population, But it is not correctly diagnosed, since it is largely unknown, and also because some patients do not want to recognize that they have hallucinations.

This syndrome occurs in patients with vision deterioration, such as age -related macular degeneration, Falls and glaucoma, mostly in the elderly with eye diseases and a predominance in the female sex.

However, The cognitive state of these patients is preserved Therefore, neurological or psychiatric diseases are ruled out, which could also. In this case, patients themselves recognize that their visions are not real, and sometimes they are called how Pseudoalucinaciones.

Hallucinations: why do we perceive what does not exist?

However, the identification of this syndrome is not always simple, since it is not always correctly diagnosed. The most remarkable is that, Due to the increase in life expectancy, the prevalence of this syndrome also increases, caused by visual deficits relations with age.

There are patients who do not suffer with hallucinations and can continue their lives in a normal way, which also makes them not consult for fear that they consider them to suffer from a psychiatric disease. In addition, when they come with a specialist, they are generally diagnosed with delusions, psychosis or poisoning caused by drug.

The cause of the appearance of this syndrome can be explained by the theory of deference, according to which ocular conditions produce a loss of the encouragement of stimuli to the occipital cortex, so that neurons could suffer from hyperexcitation, reacted exaggerated in any stimulus and thus producing hallucinations.

As mentioned, these hallucinations can be simple, with figures or lines, as well as complex, in which flowers or people are seen, whether in black and white or in colors; They can also occur static or moving. Many of the patients refer to see people and faces, in color and moving.

It is remarkable that when you have a healthy vision, the light reaches the eye through the cornea and is received in the retina, a light -sensitive fabric. The retina converts those rays of light into visual forms, which are sent to the brain to see.

But, when people lose part of their vision, due to eye diseases, the visual system does not process new images and, not receiving visual information, The brain fills said emptiness generating images or remembering those that are already stored.

This would be the cause of visual hallucinations in Charles Bonnet syndrome. It is very similar to when a person loses a limb and feels the ghost pain, which is not related to mental health problems.

Charles Bonnet syndrome symptoms

The main symptom are visual hallucinations, which predominate at the time the person awakens. Although they can vary between people, in general, patients appreciate repeated patterns of lines, points or other geometric figures.

You can also see mountains, waterfalls or other landscapes; people, insects or animals, people disguised from a past time, even imaginary creatures, such as dragons. These hallucinations can remain motionless or move. They can last hours, minutes or seconds.

There are still no exact evidence to know if a person suffers from this syndrome, but the doctor will take as a reference the history to rule out other pathologies, as well as appreciate whether the person takes some medications, he has mental health problems or any other neurological condition. If the person only presents hallucinations, and not other alterations, then it is likely to be diagnosed with this syndrome.

Regarding the treatment, there is also no one that is effective or heals the syndrome in its entirety, although some techniques could work to handle this condition.

Suggestions

People with this syndrome are aware that what they are seeing is not really there.

Inform to the person that everything happens due to the loss of vision, could reassure him.

It is also important talk with a relative, a friend or a doctor, describing what happens, so that they provide support. It is important that the person has a safe space in which he can talk about his experience; Support groups could work. In addition, loved ones can also remind you that hallucinations are due to loss of vision and are not a mental health problem.

It is possible that hallucinations take place in a specific environment, be it one that has a lot or little light. If so, then the person could try to change environment to observe if they decrease. If these occur in an environment with little light, it is advisable to open the curtains or light the lights.

Move your eyes down, or side by side, without moving your head, It could work, just as removing the view of hallucination, staring at it or closing your eyes and then opening them again.

Finally, some patients refer that stress and fatigue worse these paintings, so it is important to rest well and perform some type of physical activity to reduce the level of anxiety; I could also opt for meditation or other activity that works.

It is remarkable that these hallucinations are not usually threatening or generate fear of those who suffer from them and, in many cases, decrease or even disappear.

What are hallucinations and how many types are there?

Bibliography

• Asensio Sánchez, V. M. (2002, SEPTERBER). Charles Bonnet Syndrome. In Internal Medicine Annals(Vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 64-64). Arán Ediciones, SL.
• Donoso, a., Silva, c., Sources, p., & GAETE, G. (2007). Charles Bonnet Syndrome: Presentation of three cases and literature review. Chilean Medical Magazine, 135(8), 1034-1039.
• Reolid Martínez, Ricardo Enrique, Flores Copete, María, Alcantud Lozano, Pilar, & Fernández Pérez, María José. (2018). Those strange hallucinations: Charles Bonnet syndrome. Clinical Journal of Family Medicine, eleven(1), 31-33. Retrieved on March 29, 2022, from http: // scielo.ISCIII.It is/scielo.PHP?script = sci_arttext & pid = s1699-695x2018000100031 & lng = es & tlng = is.