Beyond recognition

Face perception and recognition assist us in understanding people’s expressions, anticipating behaviour, communicating with others, and connecting with them.”

According to him, the ‘Faceblindness’ disorder may not be very rare. “Studies show that one out of every 50 people may have developmental prosopagnosia, which means they were born with the condition and have no brain damage. This condition may even run in families. Children with this issue may struggle to make friends and may become anxious or withdrawn as a result,” says Dr Jaydip.

“A person can also develop face blindness suddenly as a result of a brain stroke or head injury, or gradually, as a result of brain degeneration such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Often, people who have this problem will visit an optometrist to have their eyes tested, not realising that the condition is caused by a problem in the brain,” he adds. Neurologists can detect specific issues during routine examinations. People who cannot recognise the faces of their close relatives but can recognise them by their voices can be identified. “Cognitive tests are used by neuropsychologists to detect face blindness. Some people may have trouble recognising objects, places or buildings. People with face blindness may have a good memory, communicate well, and be self-sufficient in their activities. Management will benefit from early detection. People with face blindness benefit from cognitive and functional rehabilitation, as well as counselling to help them navigate their environment,” says Dr Jaydip.

DIAGNOSIS TOOLS

“Face blindness can be clinically diagnosed by certain face recognition tests in which photos of familiar and unfamiliar people are presented to a patient both alone and in groups, with increasing complexity. MRI scans, including functional MRI, are helpful in determining the cause of the problem. In most cases, the exact cause is unknown, especially in Congenital/Developmental Prosopagnosia. There is no specific treatment for congenital or developmental face blindness, but acquired face blindness can improve over time if the underlying cause is addressed,” says Dr C. Rajesh Reddy, Senior Consultant Neurologist, Apollo Hospital.

Studies show that one out of every 50 people may have developmental prosopagnosia, which means they were born with the condition and have no brain damage.