Elder Care in Indianapolis, IN – If Your Elderly Loved One Complains of Seeing Things, Consider a Visit to the Eye Doctor

For senior adults who have macular degeneration, glaucoma and other eyesight-reducing disease, there is a little-known accompanying condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome (Pronounced Bo-nay).

Named after the 18^th century Swiss philosopher who was the first to describe it, this syndrome causes people with reduced vision to see illusions. Sometimes called hallucinations, they are simply images. In other words, their illusions have no substance, yet they are appearing in their eyesight anyway. This is different than delusions, where a person is convinced they are seeing something real.

One woman, Sue Murray, noticed her mother was seeing a green man. She would call out to Sue to see the man whenever she saw him. The eye doctor told Sue about Charles Bonnet Syndrome and assured her it was what her mother was experiencing.

Dr. Abdhish Bhavsar is a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology as well as a retina specialist in Minneapolis. He estimates he has seen this syndrome approximately 200 times in his 17 years of practice.

“The numbers are all across the board,” said Dr. Bhavsar, who thinks the rate of Bonnet Syndrome is closer to 10 percent among those with low vision. But since these eye diseases occur more often in older adults, whose numbers are increasing, ophthalmologists will be seeing more cases — if patients aren’t too fearful to tell their doctors or families what is going on. They want to know if they’re going crazy, and we say, ‘Absolutely not, you are not losing your marbles!’”

“The hallucinations, he explained, can occur intermittently — a few times a day or weeks apart — or nearly constantly. They can last seconds or minutes. Frequently they dissipate in a year to 18 months, but not always.” http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/hello-green-man/?_r=0

Apparently a person’s brain can misinterpret the visual signals, causing an image to form that isn’t really there. This syndrome is sometimes misdiagnosed as dementia. If your elderly loved one is “seeing things” but other symptoms of dementia aren’t apparent, take her to the ophthalmologist and find out if Charles Bonnet Syndrome is a possibility.

Regular eye and vision exams can go a long way to preventing eye disease or serious eye conditions. Most of the time, early treatment can postpone or even prevent significant vision loss. Ensure your loved one is making and keeping regular vision exams. If he or she needs help in this area, consider elderly home care.