Visual hallucinosis in non‐delusional elderly

Abstract

SUMMARYThe goal of this article was to review the literature on visual hallucinations (VH) and, more specifically, the association of visual perceptual disorders with age, specific pathologies that are etiologically related to the VH, the anatomical location of the pathology, and the relation of the characteristics of the VH to the pathology and location of the lesions and, in addition, the importance of insight in the differential diagnosis of the VH. A total of 45 articles, representing 117 cases dating from 1940 to 1991, were reviewed. This review, although relying on information provided retrospectively, includes cases of VH from all disciplines and attempts to identify characteristics associated with this disorder. Our review does show an increased frequency of VH in the elderly, with almost 50% of the case reports in the past 50 years occurring in patients in their seventh and eighth decades. There was a large differential diagnosis of VH and there may be multifactorial causality. Eye pathology was the most frequent association with VH in patients over age 60 in our review, with cataracts accounting for over half of the cases reported within this group. Our review confirms that VH can occur as a result of a lesion anywhere within the visual perceptual system -from the lens to the association cortex.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome: A Review of the Literature

“…Simple hallucinations include seeing spots, flashes, floaters, and shapes, such as circles or squares (Lannon et al, 2006). Complex visual hallucinations include seeing people, faces, plants, animals, objects, and sometimes complete scenes (Beck & Harris, 1994;Holroyd et al, 1992;Lannon et al, 2006).…”

A. y la radio escacharrada: La reducción causal en un caso de psicosis en ancianos

“…cierto (aunque no por ello deberíamos abandonar cualquier tipo de discusión al respecto), pero en este tipo de casos ni siquiera tenemos una evidencia terapéutica tal que justifique semejante afirmación (1)(2)(3)(4).…”

Atypical Epileptic Seizures or Ideatory Compensative Experiences?

“…Attention is paid to the need for differentiation between hallucinations and para-hallucinations in the subject literature. Beck and Harris (1994) connected para-hallucinations with organic changes in the central nervous system. Some authors pointed to the possibility of visual hallucinations appearance in dementia (Bilikiewicz 1998; Cummings & Mega ).…”