Complex visual hallucinations and cyclosporine
R. B. Noll and R. Kulkarni
Insidious loss of visual acuity and simultaneous onset of complex visual
hallucinations were observed in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
who had recently received bone marrow transplantation and was being treated
with prednisone and cyclosporine to suppress graft-v-host disease. Problems
with visual acuity and visual hallucinations spontaneously ameliorated with
reduction and termination of cyclosporine treatment. The complex visual
hallucinations caused considerable psychological distress for the patient.
These hallucinatory phenomena were placed within the framework of loss of
control and decreased competence, often experienced by children with
chronic illness. Recommendations for prompt therapeutic intervention were
made.
