Charles Bonnet Syndrome and The Pandemic

This pandemic is getting to me. The other evening I was just hanging out bored and I noticed I could see my floater. Now, I normally cannot see my floater but it is sort of cool. It is shaped like a mosquito larva. Boredom being what it is, I decided to experiment and see if I could make it “swim” across my eye. I did mention I was really bored; right?

Adjusting to vision loss

I almost wished I could conjure up a Charles du Bonnet hallucination. I had them when I was first adjusting to my vision loss. They happen when your brain is trying to adjust to partial data input. The guesses made by a brain with input deficits can be a bit crazy.

Hallucinations don't mean you're crazy

Not that I was crazy... no matter what everyone else may say. People with Charles Bonnet Syndrome generally are not suffering from mental illness. Just because you are seeing things that are not there and missing things that are, you don’t have to worry about the cheese slipping off the cracker. Like I said, your brain is reacting to partial data and trying to fill in the gaps. Filling in the gaps incorrectly to be sure, but that doesn’t suggest psychosis.

More frequent hallucinations in the pandemic

Now, I am not suggesting this is happening because people are bored, but a study suggested Charles Bonnet Syndrome is more prevalent now, during the pandemic, than it was prior. The logic is that stress, anxiety, and social isolation may contribute to the development of these hallucinations. The frequency of hallucinations reported appeared to be associated with the worsening of the pandemic and its restrictions.¹

Identifying and addressing causal factors

The author of the study, John Shepherd, also suggested you might want to play detective. When are the hallucinations occurring and when are they not? Making environmental changes- such as in lighting - might solve the problem.

Since the pandemic is causing stress and anxiety, ways of reducing those factors might help. What helps you destress? Exercise? Better rest? Socializing over the phone? Try something that is normally engaging or calming and see if it helps.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome and macular degeneration

Charles Bonnet Syndrome can happen to anyone who is experiencing a vision loss. It is especially likely to occur in those who have a retinal disease and, among those who have retinal diseases, it is especially likely to occur in those who have - wait for it - age-related macular degeneration.

Accepting my hallucinations

I was very fortunate with my hallucinations. With the exception of once “seeing” a “coyote” sitting in the backyard, none of mine were scary. Mostly they were bunnies and kitties. Mine were kinder and gentler hallucinations. Yelling at a tree limb solved my “coyote” problem and I just embraced my visions of bunnies and kitties.

The bottom line? You are probably not crazy. Those strange things you are seeing are probably the result of your brain trying to make sense out of limited input. Have fun with your hallucinations. Enjoy the silly stuff your brain is producing. After all, it’s a pandemic. What else are you going to do... play with floaters?