FACE BLINDNESS

TYPES

Some people are born without the ability to recognize faces, known as congenital prosopagnosia. They do not realize they have this condition until they are much older.

Congenital or developmental prosopagnosia is a type of facial blindness that can be inherited because this is a hereditary condition and can run from one generation to another. Children with autism can also be affected by this condition since an inability to recognize faces can contribute to their impaired social skills.

The other type is acquired prosopagnosia that can happen if you have brain damage or trauma after suffering from a head injury, stroke, and other neurodegenerative diseases. It means they can recognize faces in the past, but it is now unlikely to happen again because of brain damage. 

SYMPTOMS

The most common symptom of prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize faces, whether in person or online. Other symptoms are as follows:

• Unable to identify people in photographs (family, relatives, friends, celebrities) and even themselves
• Confuses people who have similar facial features or appearance (like hairstyle) and share the same characteristics (like gender or ethnicity)
• Cannot keep track of the identity of characters in movies/plays/TV shows
• Unable to recognize familiar people when they encounter them
• Seems to be lost in public places or large gatherings
• Difficulty recognizing places
• Avoiding to call people by their names

Not recognizing one’s face can create social problems but not recognizing your own can even lead to anxiety or depression. If you have prosopagnosia, this is a struggle every day.

DIAGNOSIS

Since facial blindness is not just hereditary, it can also be a cause of brain injury, you have to check with a neurologist so you can have an assessment evaluating your ability to recognize and identify the following:

• Faces of your family members and even strangers
• Faces of celebrities
• Similarities and differences of facial features in the sets of faces that will be presented to you
• Judge age, gender, or emotional cues from sets of faces

The two tests that can be used to evaluate potential prosopagnosia are the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT) and the Warrington Recognition Memory of Faces (RMF). However, the scores are not that reliable, so you have to consult a specialist.

TREATMENT

There is no actual cure for face blindness. No medicines or surgeries, but you can say therapies because the treatment focuses on helping people to better recognize faces and identify individuals. Professionals can also help strategize a better way to connect with people, build stronger social relationships, and manage anxiety or depression symptoms.

It is also suggested to focus on other visual or verbal clues to identify a person like hair color, height, or voice. You can also look for certain mannerisms or outstanding features of the person.