A medical condition that occurs if a person suddenly loses partial or complete sight, causing them to experience vivid hallucinations, is known as Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). This condition is only seen in people born with healthy, normal vision, but who lose it later in their lifetime due to some issue. People who are born with poor vision or other vision-related problems are not affected by CBS.
CBS symptoms
The major symptom of CBS is visual hallucinations that generally occur when you wake up. The symptoms may stay for a few minutes to hours and can occur daily or weekly.
A person might see shapes, people, insects, buildings, repeating patterns, grids or lines, or even abstract concepts and images. One might see colored or black-and-white images that may or may not involve movement.
Due to the overlapping symptoms of the syndrome with other mental health illnesses, several people hesitate to report the conditions, but according to those who do report, the data has been recorded according to which 10-40% of people who suffer from sudden vision loss or impairment also experience the symptoms of CBS at some point. Due to poor awareness and misconceptions, people are scared to visit doctors.
It is common to see the same repeating patterns or even the same people and animals, which further leads people into thinking the situation is associated with mental illness. However, confirming with your eye doctors or visiting the Center for Ophthalmology in Dubai will clear the confusion in your mind and help you understand the reality of things easily.
What is the underlying cause of CBS?
CBS, or Charles Bonnet Syndrome, can occur due to complications incurred during eye surgeries, such as visual impairments or vision loss. It can also occur due to several underlying conditions, such as:
- Glaucoma
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Cataract
- Severe myopia
- Retinal vein occlusion
- Occipital stroke
- Temporal arteritis
- Diabetic retinopathy
Despite several studies and hundreds of reports, no one has concluded why CBS happens. Many researchers consider the condition similar to phantom limb pain, when people experience pain in a limb that is not even there and has been removed. Similar to the people experiencing CBS, despite their inability to see, they feel visual sensations.
Diagnosis and treatment
CBS can be diagnosed with a physical exam or an MRI scan to rule out cognitive or memory-related issues. Unfortunately, Charles Bonnet syndrome is an incurable condition, but the effects can be managed by changing some daily habits.
Some of them are:
- Move around when feeling hallucinations
- Move your eyes or stare directly at the object you see while hallucinating
- Additional lighting can help
- Try stimulating other senses by listening to music
- Engage in social activities
In some cases, the medications used to treat epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease can help, but there can be major side effects. A process that involves magnetic stimulation of different parts of the brain, known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is often used to treat anxiety and depression, may also provide relief to some extent.
How to learn to live with CBS?
The condition of Charles Bonnet Syndrome is more common than you might think. Visiting your eye clinic regularly will essentially help you manage the condition with more patience by minimizing the symptoms as much as possible. A professional eye specialist will help you log how frequently you are experiencing the symptoms to understand them and prevent them from affecting your daily life.
For the majority of people, symptoms usually become less and even stop completely, so do not hesitate to visit the best Dubai ophthalmology center for your regular consultation and check-up.
