Deafferentation Hallucinations: A Less Explored Entity

magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed age-related cortical atrophy.The patient had disturbances in recent memory with the preservation of remote memory.On inquiry, relatives confirmed that they had noticed this for the last few months.Some impairment in activities of daily living was also noted, mainly attributable to his sensory deficits and excessive sedation.Otherwise, there was no evidence of aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, or other disturbances in executive functioning.His score on the mini-mental status examination was 25 on 30.He lost 3 points on recall and 2 points on serial subtractions.Ophthalmology and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) opinions were taken.The ophthalmologist's opinion revealed cataracts in both eyes, for which surgery and intraocular lens implantation were advised.ENT opinion revealed that the patient had mixed hearing loss in both ears and was advised hearing aids for the same.Antipsychotics were stopped, and the patient reported improvement in oversedation.He was diagnosed with amnestic mild neurocognitive impairment (MCI) with bilateral cataracts and bilateral mixed hearing loss. 10We started him on tab donepezil 5 mg HS.He was discharged in a week and asked to follow up in psychiatry, ophthalmology, and ENT OPDs for further management.On follow-up after 6 weeks, we found that the patient had been operated for bilateral cataracts, was advised hearing aids for mixed hearing loss, and reported >70% improvement in hallucinations.