Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Visual hallucinations in ophthalmology

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Forty-three patients with severe visual impairment due to bilateral eye disease were assessed for visual hallucinations, 28 of them after eye surgery. Ages ranged between 65 and 93 years and none of the patients had any psychiatric disorder. Five of the 43 patients were diagnosed as cases with Charles Bonnet syndrome reporting visual hallucinations that had developed in the course of sight deterioriation. There was strong indication that sensory deprivation was an essential pathogenetic factor for this phenomenon. Three of the 28 patients assessed following eye surgery who had no history of hallucinatory phenomena experienced visual hallucinations on the 2nd postoperative day without showing any other psychiatric symptoms. The various conditions associated with visual hallucinations are discussed that may be of relevance to the ophthalmologist.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Axenfeld T (1925) Staroperation und Psyche. Arch Psychiat Nervenkr 74:193–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Bente D (1982) Vigilanzregulation, hirnorganisches Psychosyndrom und Alterserkrankungen: Ein psychophysiologisches Modell. In: Bente D, Coper H, Kanowski S (eds) Hirnorganische Psychosyndrome im Alter. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 63–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Berrios GE, Brook P (1982) The Charles Bonnet syndrome and the problem of visual perceptual disorders in the elderly. Age Ageing 11:17–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonnet C (1960) Essai analytique sur les facultés de lâme. Philibert, Copenhagen Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd DA, Norris MA (1941) Delirium associated with cataract extraction. J Indian Med Assoc 34:130–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Brownell ME (1917) Cataract delirium. J Mich Med Soc 16:282

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgermeister JJ, Tissot R, Ajuriaguerra J de (1965) Les hallucinations visuelles des ophthalmopathes. Neuropsychologia 3:9–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler TH (1920) Insanity after eye operations. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK 40:363

    Google Scholar 

  • Cogan DG (1973) Visual hallucinations as release phenomena. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 188:139–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Damas-Mora J, Skelton-Robinson M, Jenner FA (1982) The Charles Bonnet syndrome in perspective. Psychol Med 12:251–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Eye H (1973) Traité des hallucinations. Masson, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Foerster O (1931) The cerebral cortex in man. Lancet II:309–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl-Hochwart L (1890) Über Psychosen nach Augenoperationen. Jahrb Psychiatr 9: 152–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Gloning J, Gloning K, Hoff H (1967) Über optische Halluzinationen. Wien Z Nervenheilkd 25:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Hecaen H, Badaracco JG (1956) Les hallucinations visuelles au cours des ophthalmopathies et des lesions des nerfs et du chiasma optiques. Evol Psychiatr 21:157–179

    Google Scholar 

  • Lance JW (1976) Simple formed hallucinations confined to the area of a specific visual field defect. Brain 99:719–734

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine AM (1980) Visual hallucinations and cataracts. Ophthalmol Surg 11:95–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Lhermitte J, Ajuriaguerra J de (1936) Étude clinique et pathogénique des hallucinations chez les ophthalmopathes. Ann Med Psychol (Paris) 94:232–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Linn L, Kahn RL, Coles R, Cohen J, Marshall D, Weinstein EA (1953) Patterns of behavior disturbance following cataract extraction. Am J Psychiatr 110:281–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Morax V (1922) Sur les hallucinations visuelles survenant au cours des alterations retiniennes. Prog Med 50:652–654

    Google Scholar 

  • Morsier G de (1936) Les automatismes visuels. Hallucinations retrochiasmatiques. Schweiz Med Wochenschr 66:700–708

    Google Scholar 

  • Morsier G de (1967) Le syndrome de Charles Bonnet: hallucinations visuelles des vieillards sans déficience mentale. Ann Med Psychol (Paris) 125:677–702

    Google Scholar 

  • Penfield W, Perot P (1963) The brain's record of auditory and visual experience. Brain 86:595–696

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel RK, West LJ (1975) Hallucinations. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Truc H (1925) Phantopsies ou fantasmagories visuelles d'origine oculaire. Ann Ocul 162: 649–655

    Google Scholar 

  • Uhthoff W (1899) Beiträge zu den Gesichtstäuschungen (Halluzinationen, Illusionen etc.) bei Erkrankungen des Sehorgans. Monatsschr Psychiatr Neurol 5:241–264; 370–379

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulbricht W (1961) Über die Entstehung der Psychosen nach Staroperation. Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol 5:193–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Walsh FB, Hoyt WF (1969) Clinical neuroophthalmology, 3rd edn. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisman AD, Hackett TP (1958) Psychosis after eye surgery. N EnglJ Med 258: 1284–1289

    Google Scholar 

  • West LJ (1962) A general theory of hallucinations and dreams. In: West LJ (ed) Hallucinations. Grune and Stratton, New York, pp 277–279

    Google Scholar 

  • White NJ (1980) Complex visual hallucinations in partial blindness due to eye disease. Br J Psychiatr 136:284–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Zett W (1964) Neurologisch-psychiatrische Beobachtungen an Kataraktoperierten. Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol 12:451–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziskind E, Graham R, Kuninobo L, Ainsworth R (1963) The hypnoid syndrome in sensory deprivation. In: Wortis J (ed) Recent advances in biological psychiatry, vol 5. Grune and Stratton, New York, pp 331–346

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-4300, Essen, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. M. Olbrich & M. P. Engelmeier

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, Hufelandstrasse 55, D-4300, Essen, Federal Republic of Germany

    D. Pauleikhoff & T. Waubke

Authors
  1. H. M. Olbrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. P. Engelmeier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. Pauleikhoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Waubke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Olbrich, H.M., Engelmeier, M.P., Pauleikhoff, D. et al. Visual hallucinations in ophthalmology. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 225, 217–220 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02175452

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02175452

Keywords

Search

Navigation