It all started last August, a few days after eye surgery. Mark Bryan, 45, a retired British professor, has just undergone laser surgery on his right retina to treat scars caused by diabetic retinopathy, a complication of his type 1 diabetes. But six days after the procedure, while he is in the kitchen, a feminine figure with… spectacular shapes, appears in the corner of his field of vision. Without really being invited.
Ten days of twisting visions
For ten days, Mark is then pursued by this vision of a woman he calls Taloulawhich he describes as
“a Pamela Anderson stuck to my face”he tells the media The Mirror laughing.
And the busty Taloula makes numerous appearances. Hallucinations appear without warning, even in the most mundane situations: while brushing your teeth, watching television, or even closing your eyes.
“It was funny at first, I felt like a teenager. But after two days, I thought I was going crazy”he confides.
Especially since the situation is becoming invasive. Imaginary breasts are superimposed on the faces of passers-by or stand out at the corner of a supermarket aisle. Mark ends up no longer daring to leave his house, terrified by these apparitions that he experiences up to twenty times a day.
When the brain invents what the eye no longer sees
It was only after several days of anguish that Mark learned the truth. He suffers from Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) (… a fitting name for a hallucinated chest): a rare but benign neurological condition, well known to ophthalmologists.
CBS manifests as visual hallucinations in people whose vision is impaired by eye disease: age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, or, as in Mark’s case, diabetic retinopathy.
These hallucinations are not psychiatric. In reality, the brain, deprived of precise visual information, “fills in the gaps” by creating images.
“It’s a bit as if the brain refuses visual silence”explains the French neurologist Gilles Fénelon, a specialist on the subject in a publication in 2003. Hallucinations can range from simple geometric patterns to human figures, animals or entire scenes.
In Mark’s case, the presence of an air bubble injected into his eye during surgery, intended to promote healing, would have amplified the phenomenon. This bubble, by moving slightly in the visual field, could be interpreted by his brain as a rounded and moving shape… hence the persistent vision of an opulent chest. At least, that is the surgeons’ explanation.
A vision that ends up deflating
Fortunately, after about ten days, Taloula
ended up evaporating as mysteriously as it had appeared.
“It was quite disappointing. jokes Mark. Over time, his chest “deflated” as the bubble subsided. In the end, she looked more like a shirtless man.” indicates the man, who is fortunately not traumatized.
A little-known but not so rare syndrome
Contrary to popular belief, Charles Bonnet syndrome is not so rare: it affects between 10 and 15% of patients with severe visual disorders, according to a study published in the
Francophone Journal of Orthoptics (2024). These hallucinations can last from a few seconds to several hours, and even though patients know they are not real, they can be distressing or unsettling.
But because it is little known, CBS can cause unnecessary distress: “Many visually impaired people do not dare to talk about their visions, for fear of being taken for people with mental disorders.emphasize the researchers.
The case of Mark Bryan, both comical and instructive, reminds us of the importance of better informing people about Charles Bonnet syndrome. Knowing it better allows patients to understand what they are experiencing, to no longer fear their hallucinations. Today, despite another necessary surgery in September, Mark only has one woman in his life, his own. His strange experience will still leave a mark: “Why this vision? It makes me feel a bit like a pervert. It’s embarrassing, but you have to laugh about it.” he concludes.