The first ever Charles Bonnet Day is taking place on Thursday 16th November, Esme’s Umbrella is the Campaign Group for raising awareness of Charles Bonnet Syndrome and are responsible for organising the event.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) is a condition which causes visual hallucinations in people with sight loss. People living with CBS often think they are developing dementia and do not tell anyone about the difficulties they are facing. The condition is frequently diagnosed as dementia incorrectly because CBS is not well known by Ophthalmologists and healthcare professionals. Hallucinations can be anything from animals to people to patterns and because they are coming from your brain, they seem very real to the person experiencing them.
Over 100,000 people in the UK are living with CBS and around half of all people with Macular Degeneration will experience hallucinations at some point. This means that CBS affects many of Wiltshire Sight’s clients which is why they are supporting the event.
Wilshire Sight Chief Executive, Leanne Hubbard commented,“We are proud to be supporting Esme’s Umbrella and the awareness day, many of our clients experience CBS in some way and it isn’t as well-known as it should be considering the challenges it brings. We hope the event helps raise awareness so people can better understand the condition and the support the support that is available. We would like to send out an open invitation to our Weekend Open Morning on Saturday 18th November to find out more!”
