A 54-year-old man could clearly see desktop icons jumping off his computer screen.
He also began to suffer from intense headaches, he developed photosensitivity and his overall health worsened.
A visit to the hospital revealed that he has Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, which is most often associated with epilepsy, drug use or severe infection. But in this patient's case, the brain tumors were to blame.
An unnamed 54-year-old resident of Rome (Italy) at first even decided that he was sleeping in reality, when computer icons began to jump from the table in different directions before his eyes.
At the hospital, he was diagnosed with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Despite the strange name, this is a real, albeit very rare syndrome. People with this syndrome sometimes see their bodies as if from the side or see strange objects around them.
The man said that the computer icons for about 10 minutes moved from the computer screen towards him and he clearly saw it before everything disappeared.
He also complained of nausea, severe headaches, photophobia and general weakness. After referral to neurology, the man underwent a CT scan and she revealed that he had a malignant glioma - a dangerous brain tumor.
The glioma pressed on the part of the brain responsible for the perception of visual signals, which caused the hallucinations. Fortunately, the tumor was not very large yet, only 2.5 cm in diameter. After chemotherapy and laser surgery to remove the tumor, the patient showed signs of improved health.
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It has been 20 months since the beginning of the treatment, and since then the examination has not revealed a recurrence of glioma.
According to doctors, this is the first time in the world that Alice in Wonderland Syndrome was caused by a tumor in the brain.
Dr. Sylvia Kurz from New York University commented on this unique case in an interview with LiveScience..