ArticleLancet (London, England)1996
Visual hallucinations in psychologically normal people: Charles Bonnet's syndrome.
Article in Lancet (London, England), 1996. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers.
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Who cites it
90 citing papers in PubMed, 436 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dopamine Agonists and their risk to induce psychotic episodes in Parkinson's disease: a case-control study.BMC neurology · 2009Trial
- 'Everywhere I turn, I'm blocked': a qualitative exploration of experiences of Charles Bonnet syndrome and its impact on physical activity and falls.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Psychological Profile and Visual Function in Charles Bonnet Syndrome: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Charles Bonnet Syndrome: associations between psychosocial measures and visual hallucination characteristics in the visually impaired.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Charles bonnet syndrome with subsequent depression in acute angle-closure glaucoma: a case report.Oxford medical case reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and clinical characteristics of Charles Bonnet syndrome in patients with glaucoma.International ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Musical Hallucinosis: Auditory Illusions After Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implantation.Neurorehabilitation and neural repair · 2025Review
- Charles Bonnet syndrome in adults with inherited retinal disease: prevalence and patient perspectives.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- Visual cortical activity in Charles Bonnet syndrome: testing the deafferentation hypothesis.Journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Assessing higher-order visual functions: seeing beyond a flat earth.Dementia & neuropsychologia · 2025Review
- Video-evoked neuromarkers of visual function in age-related macular degeneration.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- A case series of musical hallucinations in psychiatry of old age-in search of the sound of silence.Irish journal of medical science · 2024Review
- Epidemiology and phenomenology of the Charles Bonnet syndrome in low-vision patients.International ophthalmology · 2024Article
- Musical hallucination or musical obsession? A differential diagnosis between two cases.Dementia & neuropsychologia · 2024Article
- Review of Risk Factors, Pathophysiology, Management Principles, and Role of Medications.Case reports in psychiatry · 2024Article
- [Temporary and persistent visual phenomena in neurology].Der Nervenarzt · 2023Article
- Modelling perception as a hierarchical competition differentiates imagined, veridical, and hallucinated percepts.Neuroscience of consciousness · 2023Article
30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCharles Bonnet's Syndrome (CBS), characterised by the presence of complex visual hallucinations in psychologically normal people, was considered for a long time to be rare. Systematic research on CBS has been limited. However, it has been realised that CBS occurs frequently in elderly, visually handicapped patients, and we have been able to study the syndrome in a large number of patients.
methodsAfter screening 505 visually handicapped patients, 60 were found to meet proposed diagnostic criteria for CBS (generally, the existence of hallucinations without delusions or loss of insightful cognition.) Psychopathological characteristics, personal meaning, and the emotional impact of hallucinations, as well as factors influencing the hallucinations, were analysed.
findingsAlthough diagnostic criteria demand merely "partial insight", all patients had full insight into the unreal nature of their hallucinations. Other characteristics varied. In 46 (77%) patients, hallucinations lacked a personal meaning. Sensory deprivation and a low level of arousal seemed to favour the occurrence of hallucinations. CBS caused considerable distress in only 17 (28%) patients. However, all patients were glad to be told that their hallucinations were not due to mental disease. The proper diagnosis had been made in only one of the 16 patients who had consulted a doctor.
interpretationAlthough largely unrecognised in clinical practice, CBS should be considered as a diagnosis in patients who complain of hallucinations and who meet defined diagnostic criteria. There is no proven treatment, but many patients will benefit from reassurance that their hallucinations do not imply mental illness.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.