What is prosopagnosia? Know more about this disorder that causes 'face blindness'

Hyderabad: Are you unable to recognise a face? Do you recognize the voice but not the face? If yes then you are suffering from Prosopagnosia, a disorder where identifying a person's face is a challenge.

In India, this disorder is noted in people who suffer from stroke, head injury, infections in the brain, and dementia.

People are often unwilling to come out in the open and talk about it as they are ashamed – not being able to recognise a familiar face can be quite an embarrassment.

For this reason, many people never open up about their problems.

Recently, Hollywood actor Brad Pitt talked about his experience of not being able to recognise people as he suffered from prosopagnosia.

It sounds bizarre but one in 50 people who have dementia suffers from this condition. Often, many of them do not understand why they are not able to recognize a face.

What causes prosopagnosia?

It is due to a block in the brain due to injury, abnormalities where the facial memory is affected.

Symptoms to watch out for are difficulty in recognising known faces.

An individual with moderate to severe prosopagnosia may not recognise the faces of their family members, co-workers, and neighbours they see regularly. They can identify them only when they speak.

There is no specific treatment or cure for the disease. There are training programs, counselling and support techniques to recognise people's voices and mannerisms.

Often, this condition leads to loneliness and inability to interact and gives a negative impression of the person. As many are unable to express their problem, it often goes unnoticed and unrecognised.