Is there any treatment for, "Charles Bonnet Syndrome"?

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Is there any treatment for, "Charles Bonnet Syndrome"?

Expert Answer

Senior Editor Melanie Haiken, who is responsible for Caring.com's coverage of cancer, general health, and family finance, discovered how important it is to provide accurate, targeted, usable health information to people facing difficult decisions.

The disorder known as "Charles Bonnet Syndrome" causes visual hallucinations, usually in those who have low vision as a result of some other condition, such as macular degeneration. Most patients don't find the hallucinations terribly disturbing once they understand what's happening, and don't worry that they're losing their mental faculties. So the best treatment may just be understanding and acceptance, since the hallucinations tend to be quite fleeting and go away on their own. However, if visual hallucinations are particularly bothersome, doctors have been having some luck treating patients with psychiatric medications such as Haldol, an antipsychotic, and SSRIs such as Prozac and Zoloft.