Viual hallucination immediately after macular photocoagulation

PURPOE: To evaluate the incidence of viual hallucination after macular photocoagulation for choroidal neovacularization. METHOD: After macular photocoagulation for choroidal neovacularization, 60 conecutive patient were aked to repond to an orally adminitered quetionnaire. REULT: Twenty-even patient (45%) decribed photopia, flahing light of variou color. Ten additional patient (16.6%) alo decribed tructured hallucination, including known or unknown face, flower, and geometric pattern, which occurred hour or a few day after photocoagulation. Patient with tructured hallucination were older (P = .04) and more often had ubfoveal choroidal neovacularization (P = .005) and evere macular dieae in both eye or at leat in the treated eye (P = .01). CONCLUION: Viual hallucination appear to be a frequent, albeit unrecognized, ide effect of macular photocoagulation of choroidal neovacularization. The proviion of proper information to patient may avoid concern about a pychiatric origin of their hallucination.