Visual

hallucinations

Some people with sight loss experience visual

hallucinations. Many worry unnecessarily about
the cause of these

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0300 3030 111.
Visual hallucinations

Hallucinations can occur first described the

as a result of sight loss. condition. Charles
Bonnet hallucinations
Up to half of all are not a sign of
people with macular mental illness.
degeneration are
thought to experience What is a visual
visual hallucinations hallucination?
at some time.
A visual hallucination is
They are more likely to the same experience as
occur if both eyes are really seeing something,
affected by sight loss. but the ‘something’ is
The hallucinations often not actually there.
start after a decline in
vision. Visual hallucinations
appear to exist in the
When hallucinations real world rather than
happen as a result of in the mind’s eye.
sight loss, they are known They come and go
as Charles Bonnet unannounced and
syndrome, after an 18th can last for just a few
century Swiss scientist seconds or as long
and philosopher who as a day or more.

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 Advice and Information Service 0300 3030 111

The syndrome itself can costumed figures

last from days to many wearing hats, or even
years. For most people disembodied faces with
the hallucinations staring eyes.
improve with time.
The hallucinations are
What do these often seen in more vivid
hallucinations detail than real life.
look like? Some people enjoy their
hallucinations. However,
Charles Bonnet they are more often an
hallucinations can be unwanted distraction
simple unformed and can be frightening.
flashes of light, colours
or shapes. However, When they cause rooms
many people see more or buildings to seem
elaborate forms such as altered, it can be
geometrical grids and disorientating.
lattices.
Can you stop the
Some people report hallucinations?
seeing landscaped
gardens or vistas, The Macular Society has
animals, people, or sponsored research by
processions of miniature Dr Dominic ffytche of
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Visual hallucinations

the Institute of These exercises may

Psychiatry in London help hallucinations
into non-drug treatments disappear:
for visual hallucinations.
• Imagine two points
Dr ffytche recommends about a metre (3ft)
using eye movements apart on a wall in
to lessen the impact front of you. Stand
and length of about a metre and a
hallucinations. half away and look
from one point to the
Eye movements other once every
activate visual parts of second or faster for
the brain in people with 15–30 seconds,
macular disease – even followed by a break of
if they have little a few seconds. Keep
remaining vision. your head still and
hold your eyes open
These movements may during these
stop certain types of movements.
hallucinations,
particularly the grids,
• If your hallucinations
continue, try repeating
checkerboards, lattices
this exercise. If the
and colours. hallucinations are still

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 Advice and Information Service 0300 3030 111

there after four or five using a non-invasive

attempts, the mild electric current
technique is unlikely can stop visual
to work. You may hallucinations. The
however want to try technique is called
again on another ‘transcranial direct
occasion or for a current simulation’
different type of (tDCS). If successful it
hallucination. will offer an alternative
to medication.
• Shut your eyes or look
away from the image.
Why do the
• Switch on the room hallucinations
lights. happen?
• Simply get up and do When visual signals
something else.
leave the eye they go
This can cause the to the back of the
hallucinations to brain (the occipital
disappear; however, lobe) to the primary
they often continue. visual receiving area,
called V1.
The Macular Society has
sponsored a project to From V1 the signals
investigate whether are relayed to a series
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 Visual hallucinations

of map-like areas, each pathways, what was

specialised in a different once a flood becomes a
aspect of seeing. There trickle. This leaves the
is an area specialised for visual areas of the brain
movement, an area for with little to do.
colour, several for faces,
one for landscapes and The idle visual brain
many others. cells, waiting for an
appropriate trigger,
Scanning studies have begin to fire
revealed what happens spontaneously. If this
in the brains of people happens in the colour
while they hallucinate. area, people experience
These studies help hallucinations of colour;
explain some of the if in the object area, they
features of Charles see objects and so on.
Bonnet hallucinations.
After a while, the visual
With our eyes open, the brain gets used to the
visual brain expects to lower level of information
receive and process a from the eye and the
flood of complex spontaneous firing
electrical signals. In lessens or stops.
people with eye disease
or a break in the visual
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 Advice and Information Service 0300 3030 111

This explains why, for However bizarre,

many people, the frightening or funny
hallucinations gradually their content, Charles
reduce over time. Bonnet hallucinations
are no more than a
What do we still normal brain’s response
need to know? to reduced visual
input. While they may
More research into be an inconvenience,
Charles Bonnet they are not a cause
syndrome is needed. for concern.
For example, we do not
know why only some If you find your
people with sight loss hallucinations upsetting,
have hallucinations. We talk to your doctor or
do not know how to ophthalmologist
stop the spontaneous about the problem.
firing without affecting
other brain activities. Take this leaflet with
you as some health
One thing that is certain professionals outside
is that hallucinations do the eye specialty may
not mean the person is not know about
mentally ill. Charles Bonnet
syndrome.
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Visual hallucinations

Treatment, if any, might • escalating responses

depend on establishing to hallucinations
whether there are any
other causes apart from
• confusion / memory
concerns
eye disease.
• accompanying person
Some people can be more aware of
helped with drugs problem than patient.
used to treat other
conditions such as With thanks to
anti-epileptic or Dr Dominic ffytche,
anti-dementia drugs. Institute of Psychiatry,
London.
These characteristics
might suggest that For research references
hallucinations are not visit
the result of Charles macularsociety.org/
Bonnet syndrome: references
• voices and visions
• absence of patterns
and simple
phenomena
• elaborate explanation
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 Advice and Information Service 0300 3030 111

Beating Macular The Advice and

Disease Information Service
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Macular disease is the
Available Monday to
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Friday, 9am to 5pm.
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Alternatively, you can
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Visual hallucinations

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which pairs you up for the most of your
regular telephone calls vision.
with another person
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like to live with the
condition. Calls can be
about anything, and
provide friendly
support.

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Here are some hallucinations people have
described to us...

Traffic lights
that look
emen like firework
Edwardian gentl s
on bicycles

Honeycomb
patterns
on the wall
argoyle
Floating g
heads
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