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Medical Forum / General / Vision / November 2005AMD and a curious symptom
My mother, who is in her eighties, was diagnosed some time ago with (dry) age-related macular degeneration. As well as the expected and well-documented effects (which happily, she is coping with well) she is experiencing another symptom: basically, she sees "phantom images" of things which are not actually there, moving around in her field of vision. From her description, these are not mis-interpreted floaters but something more solid-appearing and more apparently real. We suspect that what she is seeing could be distorted multiple images of the objects she is actually looking at, but this is a pure guess. She has been examined by her doctor, her optician and a consultant, none of whom were able to explain the symptoms. Mentally, she is quite unimpaired. One factor which might be relevant is that when she first wakes up in the morning the effect is not present; but it manifests itself soon afterwards and persists throughout the day. I would be most grateful to know if this symptom strikes any chords with anyone here. Many thanks, B Coules >My mother, who is in her eighties, was diagnosed some time ago with (dry) >age-related macular degeneration. As well as the expected and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >I would be most grateful to know if this symptom strikes any chords with >anyone here. I don't know about AMD but I have had an eye removed and do get phantom vision. I know of others who do too. We tend to see the last thing that we saw with that eye. So for me it's a red coloured swirl as the last thing I saw was blood in the eye. For a friend who lost her vision but didn't actually lose her eyes, she sees what looks like red scarves waving about. The last thing she saw was blood dripping down in front of her eyes. Another friend who was wrapping her precious possessions in bubblewrap before going blind, sees bubblewrap. What that tells you, I don't know, except that anything is possible. Ann Ann, > I... do get phantom vision. I know of others who do too. Thanks for that; your description of what you experience is fascinating. I don't think my mother's condition is directly related, since she sees more than a single image, but I'm pleased to know that phantom images are not unheard of. Bert > My mother, who is in her eighties, was diagnosed some time ago with (dry) > age-related macular degeneration. As well as the expected and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I would be most grateful to know if this symptom strikes any chords with > anyone here. Is she on any kind of heart or sleeping medication? My MIL had a number of prescriptions for CHF and insomnia, with the occasional bit of Aricept because the neurologist had no better idea even though Alzheimer's was not a problem, and had "visions" every once in a while. She hesitated to mention them for fear her stable of doctors would think she'd gone nuts, but when she finally mentioned it she was told that "visions" were a side effect of one of the drugs and she might as well enjoy them while they lasted.  SignatureCheers, Bev ================================================================== "I used to be convinced that MicroSquish shipped crap because they simply didn't give a flying f.ck as long as the sheep kept buying their sh.t. Now, I'm convinced that they really do ship the best products they are capable of writing, and *that's* tragic." - John C. Randolph, about MS quality control. Bev, > Is she on any kind of heart or sleeping medication? My MIL... > was told that "visions" were a side effect of one of the drugs... That's an interesting possibility. I'm not sure of exactly what drugs my mother is taking; I'll look into it. Thanks. Bert What you have described sounds like Charles Bonnet Syndrom. Happily, it is not something to be too worried about. While it is little known, it is fairly common in visually impaired older people. Google the term for more information. Also, there is a good discussion of the disorder in "Phantoms in the Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran. BTW, I am not a doctor. > What you have described sounds like Charles Bonnet Syndrom. Happily, > it is not something to be too worried about. While it is little known, > it is fairly common in visually impaired older people. Google the term > for more information. Also, there is a good discussion of the disorder > in "Phantoms in the Brain" by V.S. Ramachandran. Yes! The name sounds familiar and now I remember the Doheny doctor (ophthalmological surgeon) talking about it. My MIL lost most of her useful vision perhaps 5 years before her death. She saw her daughter and a couple of other people but knew they weren't real. <http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/documents/PublicWebsite/public_rnib0 03641.hcsp> SignatureCheers, Bev ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Screw the end users. If they want good software, let them write it themselves." -- Anon. > What you have described sounds like Charles Bonnet Syndrom. Thanks for that: I've looked it up and I agree: it could well be what my mother is experiencing. I'll pass the information on to her. We also went through the documentation with her medications and found two items which listed "blurred vision and possible hallucinations" as potential (if uncommon) side effects: Zoton (Lansoprazole) and Tenkorex (Cefalexin); she plans to ask her doctor about these when she next sees him. Thanks to everyone for the replies. Bert
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