Charles Bonnet syndrome - elderly people and visual hallucinations

Older people who report visual hallucinations are usually considered to be suffering from delusion or dementia. However, Charles Bonnet syndrome is characterised by hallucinations in people with failing eyesight and it is not necessarily associated with cognitive impairment. The syndrome is most commonly seen in older people. This is probably because they are most likely to have visual impairment from conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataract. Hallucinations can be vivid and can last for minutes or hours.