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Ghosts, Myths & Optics

GerdaWordyer

GerdaWordyer

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
1,052
I am dealing with wearing crap bifocals and I am now more than usually daunted by big looming things, especially in the dark and especially in woods. And as I age I see worse in the dark of winter. Just makes me wonder if a lot of ghosts/creepy sightings were reported by people with vision problems. And just think, before there were corrective lenses; a wise old person would see poorly and would see things in their village somewhat weirdly, and if they were a bit imaginative they could start and pass on tales. Not an explanation for everything, but an explanation for some legends.
 
I decided to avoid bifocals altogether, because of the difficulties it would create.
I have 2 separate sets of specs - one for reading and doing work, and one for driving and general walking about.
 
Lots of medical info on the web, eg:

Common eye problems for elderly include:

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness in those over 50 years old. The condition can make it difficult to read or recognise faces, driving and reading.

Glaucoma
Sudden and severe pain in the eyes can signal glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disease in which fluid pressure within your eye becomes too high, damaging the delicate fibres of the optic nerve. This damage is irreversible and can lead to blindness.

Cataract
Over 80% of people aged 60 and above have some form of cataract. Do you have a problem seeing due to cloudy vision that even spectacles cannot help? You may have cataract, a cloudy growth on your eye.

Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is a disorder of the blood vessels in the retina of patients with diabetes mellitus. It is the leading cause of new blindness in working adults in developed countries, including Singapore.

http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/ans...ons-and-Answers-Health-Xchange-Singapore.aspx
 
I dug this out from an old copy of dispensing Optics,

Charles Bonnet was Swiss. He was a lawyer by profession, but he devoted much of his life to studying philosophy and nature. In 1769 he reported that his 89 year old grandfather (whose vision was deteriorating) had begun to experience visual hallucinations. These might take the form of people, buildings and other everyday objects.
Diagnostic criteria for Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) are generally accepted to be:
1 The presence of formed, complex, persistent or repetitive visual hallucinations
2 Full or partial retention of insight into the unreal nature of the hallucinations
3 Absence of hallucinations in other sensory modalities
4 Absence of primary or secondary delusions
In simple terms patients “see” things that are not really there. Many patients are reticent, embarrassed indeed frightened to discuss this phenomenon with clinicians because they fear they are losing their sanity. The hallucinations may take the fairly benign forms reported by Bonnet, but some patients report giant spiders :creepy: and other more alarming objects.

I have only come across this a few times at work, but I think it is a fascinating subject! It would certainly explain a few odd sightings.
 
Theres also presbyopia, a condition which has just started with me :(
 
My 99-year-old aunt, who suffered from macular degeneration, experienced these hallucinations while recovering, if you will believe it, from surgery. Being a sensible woman, she called her daughter and said that she seemed to have visitors in her room who had died many years previously. Her daughter did some research and explained to her mother what was happening. My aunt got it, but said that it was nice to see them all again anyway.
 
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