Charles Bonnet syndrome in a Borneo Iban tribesman

Sabri R, Yasin Y
Correspondence: Dr Reehan Sabri, reehansabri@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT
Charles Bonnet syndrome is a condition usually seen in the visually-impaired elderly, causing complex visual hallucinations in the absence of any delirium, dementia or psychiatric illness. We report an elderly man, with blindness in one eye and a cataract in the other, from the Iban tribe, which is indigenous to the island of Borneo. He presented with a three-week history of vivid hallucinations of burglars intruding on his living quarters in the longhouse where he lived.

Keywords: cataract, Charles Bonnet syndrome, visual hallucinations, visual impairment
Singapore Med J 2009; 50(1): e48-e49