Kirsty James is a young woman who at the young age of 13 was told she had Stargardt disease and little by little would lose her sight.

However, the gradual loss of sight wasn’t the most confronting thing that Kirsty was faced with. Over time she started seeing visions: things that weren’t there, colours, faces sometimes familiar, sometimes ghoulish.

She thought she was going mad.

After suffering in silence for a long time, Kirsty finally spoke up and to her relief discovered that the apparitions haunting her were a result of sight-loss rather than mental illness.

Kirsty was diagnosed with Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a condition that causes people who have lost a lot of vision to see things that aren't really there, known as visual hallucinations.

Speaking to RNIB Connect Radio’s Simon Pauley, Kirsty tells us more about the condition and what a difference getting in touch with Esme’s Umbrella, a Campaign Group for greater awareness of Charles Bonnet Syndrome, made on her life.

For more information about Esme’s Umbrella and Charles Bonnet Syndrome visit: [http://www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.uk/](http://www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.uk/)

You can also contact Esme’s Umbrella by phone on 0345 051 3925 or by email at [email protected]