At least a million people in the UK are suffering from a condition that can cause terrifying hallucinations – but over a third of medical professionals are unaware of it, research has found.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) affects visually-impaired people who have lost at least 60% of their sight, and can cause vivid hallucinations that range from disturbing to terrifying.
These intense images are caused as loss of sight stops regular messages getting from the eye to the brain, leaving the brain with nothing to interpret – and therefore creating its own visions.
