Table 2
Characteristics of patients who experience visual hallucinations
| Patient 1 | Patient 2 | Patient 3 | Patient 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 90 | 78 | 72 | 65 | |||
| Sex | Female | Female | Male | Male | |||
| Race | Chinese | Chinese | Indian | Indian | |||
| Number of family members staying with patient | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Ophthalmic diagnoses | Both eyes: glaucoma, cataract | Right eye: pseudophakic, left eye: cataract | Both eyes: glaucoma with superior arcuate visual field defect | Right eye: clinically significant macular oedema, posterior capsule opacity, left eye: cataract | |||
| Visual acuity | Right eye 20/60, left eye hand motion | Right eye 20/100, left eye 20/60 | Right eye 20/30, left eye 20/40 | Right eye 20/60, left eye 20/100 | |||
| Duration of symptoms | 1 year | 2 months | 1.5 years | 1 year | |||
| Frequency of symptoms | Daily | Daily | Every 2–3 days | 1–2 times per week | |||
| Duration of each episode | 5 minutes–1 hour | Seconds | Seconds | 5 minutes | |||
| Change in frequency of hallucination | Same | Stopped | Increased | Increased | |||
| Hallucinations | Children, Indian worker, corpse | Half body of a handsome male, flowers | People, animals, sheets and handkerchiefs | Man, dog, spectacles, and cup | |||
| Size compared to normal objects | Normal | Normal | Smaller | Normal | |||
| Coloured image | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Solid/transparent | Solid | Solid | Variable | Solid | |||
| Movement of images | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |||
| Clarity of image compared to normal images | Clearer | Clearer | Less clear | Same | |||
| Recurrent image | Yes | No | Yes | No | |||
| Always occurs in same region of visual field | No | No | No | No | |||
| Occurs only in worse seeing eye | No | No | No | No | |||
| Triggering factors | Watching television, eating | None | Watching television | None | |||
| Actions that stop hallucinations | None | Turn on lights | None | Approach object | |||
| Emotional reaction | Angry | Angry | Previously worried, now no reaction | No reaction | |||
| Discussed with family members | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| Reaction of family members | Supportive | Supportive | “It’s your imagination” | – | |||
| Discussed with doctor | No | No | Yes | No | |||
| Reaction of doctor | – | – | “Laughed and recommended no further action” | – |
