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Charles Bonnet syndrome: characteristics of its visual hallucinations and differential diagnosis
Identifier
019940
Type of Spiritual Experience
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A description of the experience
Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2014 May;72(5):333-6.
Charles Bonnet syndrome: characteristics of its visual hallucinations and differential diagnosis.
Vale TC1, Fernandes LC2, Caramelli P3.
- 1Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital Universitário, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
- 2Hospital São Geraldo, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
- 3Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To present an eight-case serie of patients with Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS).
METHOD:
All patients were initially evaluated by an ophthalmologist and then submitted to a neurologic evaluation with exclusion of alternative psychiatric and neurologic diagnoses.
RESULTS:
Five patients were male (62.5%) and the mean age was 52.3+16.0 years. Two patients suffered from severe myopia and glaucoma, three had retinitis pigmentosa, one had anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, one had age-related macular degeneration and one had toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. Mean visual acuity in the right eye was 1,12 logMAR and in the left eye 0.57 logMAR. A mean delay of 41.7 months occurred until diagnosis. All hallucinations were complexes and mostly ocurred on a weekly-basis (62.5%) and lasted for seconds (87.5%).
CONCLUSIONS:
Physicians who care for low vision patients should be aware of CBS and appropriately diagnose its hallucinations after exclusion of psychiatric and neurologic diseases.
Comment in
- Complex visual hallucinations in mentally healthy people. [Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2014]
PMID:
24863507
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