Visual hallucinations: a review for ophthalmologists

Abstract

Visual hallucinations (VH), as opposed to illusions (which are misperception of a real visual stimulus), are a false sense of perception without external visual stimulation. The content of VH is highly variable and can range from simple unformed images (e.g., flashing lights or steady spots and colored lines) or shapes (geometric hallucinations) to formed hallucinations (e.g., vivid objects, flowers, animals or even people). In this review, we describe the common etiologies and the differentiating features for VH of interest to ophthalmologists.

Keywords::

• Alzheimer’s
• Charles Bonnet
• epilepsy
• migraine
• parkinsonism
• peduncular hallucinosis
• visual hallucinations

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported in part by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness to the University of Texas Medical Branch (TX, USA). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.