Introduction
The eyes are the most precious gift a human being can ever receive. Our lives happen with vision. We see things, perceive them and act accordingly. But what happens if a person does not get to recognize people's faces? Unfortunately, this condition is very common and drastically affects people's lives.
Face blindness, also called prosopagnosia, is a brain disorder characterized by a person's inability to recognize other people's faces. The term 'prosopagnosia' is derived from the Greek word 'prosopon,' meaning face, and 'agnosia,' meaning the inability to recognize. As a result, a few might find it difficult to acknowledge strangers' faces, and others find it difficult to identify the familiar faces of friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors.
Prosopagnosia is found to impact the affected one’s life hugely. The situation is getting more difficult, as there are no proper treatments to cure the condition wholly. But there are few alternative methods available to handle the condition more effectively. This article will discuss the types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and the management of prosopagnosia or face blindness.
What Are the Types of Face Blindness?
There are two types of prosopagnosia seen based on the causes.
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Developmental Prosopagnosia - This type of face blindness develops in a person not because of brain damage. The cause is not clear yet. It is found to have a genetic connection and is believed to run in families. At least one first degree relative will have this condition. A person affected by developmental prosopagnosia will have normal intelligence and memory power. But there will be less vision ability. These people tend to remember a person with their gait, voice, and hairstyle due to their inability to recognize and remember faces. People affected by this condition from birth do not even recognize their inability to recognize faces.
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Acquired Prosopagnosia - This prosopagnosia develops as a result of brain damage, in cases of stroke or head trauma.
Initially, face blindness was believed to be caused only by brain damage. Later researchers concluded that face blindness can occur even without brain damage. In fact, people should understand the fact that face blindness is not caused by memory loss or vision impairment, and it is a condition characterized by
What Are the Symptoms of Face Blindness?
The primary symptom of face blindness would be the inability to recognize faces. The affected individual might find it difficult to even recognize the familiar faces, let alone strangers. If the severity is mild, the affected person will only find it difficult to recognize not so familiar faces and in case of severe issues, even the regular faces cannot be recognized. This might cause them social isolation and depression. Children affected by face blindness will exhibit characteristics like social withdrawal (including school), not recognizing familiar faces, finding it difficult to make friends, misrecognizing people, etc.
What Are the Causes of Face Blindness?
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The right fusiform gyrus is the brain's central part responsible for visual perception and memory. Any damage, impairment, or fold in the right fusiform gyrus causes face blindness and prosopagnosia.
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Face blindness is found to be caused in people affected by stroke or head injury. This is called the acquired prosopagnosia.
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Face blindness is also found to run in families. Most commonly a first degree relative will have this condition.
Prosopagnosia is commonly associated with medical conditions like,
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Autism - It is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the impairment of communication and interaction. Perceiving and socializing with others becomes a challenge in this case.
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Turner Syndrome - Generally girls are born with two X chromosomes (XX). In this condition, the girl children are born with only one X chromosome and it often presents the affected person with short stature, inability to learn, delayed puberty and infertility.
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William’s Syndrome - It is a rare genetic disorder affecting different parts of the body. It affects the learning ability, facial features and heart. It is caused due to the missing genes on chromosome 7.
How to Diagnose Face Blindness?
Once the affected people recognize their inability to recognize faces, or if the family members, friends or colleagues point out this inability, it is better to seek a neurologist for proper diagnosis and charting a workable treatment plan.
Initially the doctor will do an assessment by,
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Asking the patient to identify the family members and a few strangers.
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Will be asked to come up with a memory associated with the face shown.
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Will be asked to analyze the age and gender from the faces shown.
The benton face recognition test (BFRT) and warrington recognition memory of faces (RMF) are two commonly used diagnostic tests to diagnose face blindness.
The Benton face recognition test (BFRT) was created by Mr. Arthur Benton. It involves a matching test where a picture of a person taken in a particular angle will be shown and will be asked to match with the other pictures of the same person taken in different angles. A score of below 37 out of 54 is considered as an impairment.
The Warrington recognition memory test is done to assess both the memory of faces and words.
Both these tests carry some sensitivity, but the good aspect overtakes the sensitivity. A physician’s word will be considered final.
How to Treat Face Blindness?
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A cure for face blindness or prosopagnosia is still not found. The only treatment would be to manage the underlying condition and prevent further brain damage. In fact, a curable prosopagnosia case is not mentioned in medical history.
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The patient can start to train for verbal clues like the walking style, voice, hair color, and height, to recognize a person.
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Strategies to improve neuroplasticity can be administered. People with low vision can be treated for the same.
Conclusion
Not recognizing people’s faces can affect an individual in various ways. Social withdrawal is the most common and can cause anxiety and depression. It is advisable to take a therapist's help to overcome this and learn different ways to connect with others and yourself. Accepting the condition and making efforts to overcome it will help immensely.
