Charles Bonnet syndrome: a clinical case and a review of literature

Abstract

Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) includes the visual hallucinations in patients with decreased/lost vision in both eyes or hemianopsia, which are unassociated with cognitive dysfunction or confusion. The paper describes a clinical case of a 77-year-old woman who had daily complex mobile visual hallucinations occurring mainly in the early dawning with open eyes and in clear consciousness. The patient was referred to the vascular center with lacunar stroke detected by magnetic resonance imaging, which was asymptomatic and could not cause hallucinations. The latter appeared for the first time a year before stroke in the presence of a dramatic bilateral visual decrease caused by proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The hallucinations were regarded as a manifestation of the CBS. Adequate therapy led to their disappearance. The paper provides a review of current publications on the prevalence, causes, clinical presentations, and treatment of CBS.

Keywords

• charles bonnet syndrome
• visual hallucinations
• bilateral visual decrease
• hemianopsia