A woman's medical condition results in bizarre hallucinations.
You might see scary, monster-like faces in a nightmare, however it also can be part of a medical condition. A 67-year-old woman arrived at the hospital complaining of visions of bizarre faces.
The elderly female thought she may be suffering from hallucinations and feared she might be losing her mind. The doctor at the University of Kentucky who treated the woman determined that she had a condition known as Charles Bonnet syndrome.
She drew a picture of what she had been seeing. The faces had a football-shaped head and large eyes, ears and teeth. With the condition, sufferers only see visions without sounds and usually think they are hallucinating rather than believing the images to be real.
The elderly woman’s tissue in her eye retina was deteriorating and her sight was impaired leading to her bizarre visions. Apparently the brain will create its own sensory input when the ability to see lessens, leading to the so-called hallucinations. They usually stop when the brain gets accustomed to vision loss.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome is typically seen in elderly people, but less frequently, the condition can also affect children. Studies have revealed that between 10 and 40% of people who suffer from eyesight impairment can encounter the hallucinations.
