Charles Bonnet Syndrome??

[lexiandria]

My 66yr old mother, who has Usher II and is in the late stage of
retinitis pigmentosa, has recently been afflicted with strange visual
disturbances. Her symptoms have stumped her regular optometrist as
well as the specialist that he sent her to.

The intermittant episodes of visual disturbances are best described as
colored patterns in the sides of her vision. Some are stationary while
others move about. Some of the "hallucinations" are colored lines and
latticework and others are floral patterns and bouncing blobs. Rarely,
her entire field of vision takes on a green or yellow hue. The
episodes may last only a few minutes or as long as a few days.

I will add that my mother is mentally lucid, psychologically healthy,
and she does not use drugs.

After much research and tweaking of search terms, I came across
Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) or "phantom vision". CBS is most
commonly associated with age-related macular degeneration as opposed
to retinitis pigmentosa. It causes benign visual hallucinations in
those with low vision. It describes my mother's condition to a tee,
and we will discuss this with her optometrist.

My question: Is Charles Bonnet Syndrome commonly diagnosed in patients
with Usher Syndrome?

[Mark]

I'm not an opthalmologist but I know some excellent ones. I've
forwarded your post to them. I'll let you know what I hear back.