Charles Bonnet Visual Hallucinations in Children: A Systematic Review

Meri Vukicevic, PhD
Stuart Keel, BOrth&OphthSc(Hons)
Department of Clinical Vision Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Visual pathway lesions are known to cause visual hallucinations and when they are complex, are described as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS). CBS hallucinations are common in adults and prevalence rates may be up to 40%. Very little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of CBS in children. If the postulated theories as to the cause of CBS are correct, ‘sensory deprivation’ or ‘release’, then it stands to reason that children also suffer from this disorder. A systematic review was conducted to identify reports of CBS in children and compare the findings to that reported in the literature concerning adults.