Babinski's Other Legacy: Treating Hysterical Blindness with Persuasion

There is controversy as to whether conversion disorders such as hysterical blindness should be treated with reassurance alone, placebo, or active therapies. In 1918, Babinski reported that neurologic conversion disorders such as functional vision loss could be treated with pithiatism, or persuation. Accordingly, we suspected that treatment of our hysterically blind patients with persuasive techniques, a form of active therapy, would result in positive outcomes. Because there are no guidelines for management of persons with hysterical blindness, more data regarding outcomes such as these are needed.