Rare Disorder Causes People to See Faces as Demonic or Monstrous
A rare disorder known as prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) is causing some individuals to see faces with extreme distortions, perceiving them as demonic, elven, or monstrous. With only 75 known cases from published studies, PMO is a condition that affects the vision of shape, size, color, and position of facial features.
A recent study published in The Lancet highlights a unique case of a patient who sees faces without distortion when displayed on screens or paper, but perceives them as demonic when viewed in person. Conducted by Dartmouth College, the study used graphic simulations to show how faces may appear to those suffering from PMO.
Patients with PMO often do not discuss their condition with others out of fear of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder like schizophrenia. However, researchers stress that PMO is a visual disorder and hope that their work will raise awareness about this rare condition.
As more studies are conducted on PMO, researchers aim to better understand the causes and potential treatments for this rare disorder that affects how individuals see the world around them.