Visual hallucinations due to Charles Bonnet syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: Charles Bonnet syndrome is a clinical picture characterized by the presence of visual hallucinations in patients with preserved cognitive status.

Objective: to describe the psychopathological alterations in a patient produced by the Charles Bonnet syndrome.

Case presentation: male, 51 years old, history of rheumatoid arthritis with loss of acuity secondary to bilateral cataract. He reports that 10 months after surgery he begins to see figures of domestic animals, generally dogs, with very large eyes and very large teeth, at a very short distance as if they were making contact with his face. He himself acknowledges that this cannot be real. The psychiatric examination only confirmed visual hallucinations without any other sensory-perceptive alteration without a major neurocognitive disorder. A computed tomography of the skull was requested with normal results. The patient was followed up by psychiatry, beginning psychotherapy and treatment with low-dose haloperidol with disappearance of symptoms and no recurrence.

Conclusions: Charles Bonnet syndrome is a rare cause of benign visual hallucinations, extremely rare, and although its etiology is not fully known, its appearance is an option that should always be considered by the attending physician.