Face Blind UK

No, face blindness (prosopagnosia) is not seeing distorted faces. Prosopagnosia affects a person’s ability to recognise familiar faces, whether they are a close friend or family member, a famous actor in a film or sometimes even their own face. #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

Prosopagnosia, or "face blindness," is a neurological disorder that impairs a person's ability to recognise familiar faces. People with prosopagnosia can see a face's individual features but fail to connect them to the identity of the person. #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

A common misconception is that people with face blindness don’t see faces the way everyone else does. The truth is that we see faces clearly, without distortion, but the brain has difficulty connecting those features to a specific person. #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

Brad Pitt’s career has spanned more than 3 decades and he has been a household name for most of that time. He has often discussed his challenges with recognising people and his worries about offending people when he can’t recognise them. #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk #bradpitt

The name comes from the Greek – prosop (meaning face) & agnosia (meaning a lack of knowledge). It wasn’t until the 1990s that Developmental (or Congenital) Prosopagnosia, was first recognised as a specific neurological deficit present from childhood and often running in families.

In 1947, Joachim Bodamer, a German neurologist, coined the term ‘prosopagnosia’ to describe three patients with difficulty recognising faces, but with no other visual processing difficulties – the result of head injury (acquired prosopagnosia).

Prosopagnosia has been described by physicians for longer than you might think! Paul Broca established in the 19th century that specific areas of the brain were linked to specific neurological and cognitive functions. #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

This anecdote was submitted by a Face Blind UK member. If you’d like to share your own story (anonymously or not), drop us a message! #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

One common issue for people with prosopagnosia is keeping track of characters on screen. We have a quiz available on our website if you think you might be face blind! faceblind.org.uk/diagnosis/quiz/ #prosopagnosia #faceblinduk

It’s the last day of our Face Blind UK Christmas countdown! We hope you’ve enjoyed it! For our day 12, we’ve got one of the biggest challenges prosopagnosics face - identifying people you’ve not seen for a long time. #12daysoffaceblind #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia

"Unlike my cousins, I couldn’t work out who the man in the beard was so I had no idea why everyone was so comfortable to sit on his lap and stick their hands in his beard. It was apparently always our uncle - someone I know and love very much - but I could never tell!”

We’re nearing the end of the Face Blind UK Christmas countdown now. On day 11, we bring you another member anecdote. “I always found visiting Santa to be absolutely baffling..." #12daysoffaceblind #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia

It’s the 10th day of the Face Blind UK Christmas countdown, and a bit more of a serious topic. One of the most common comments we hear from our members is the anxiety prosopagosia causes. #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

On the 9th day of our Face Blind UK Christmas countdown, we have an anecdote from a member. “I smile at everyone and say “Happy Christmas” and wonder who to ask about Mum’s missing hearing aid” #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

It’s day 8 of the Face Blind UK Christmas countdown! Today, telling actors apart in films. If you know someone who constantly asks “who’s that?” throughout a film, it could be that they’re face blind! #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

Day 7 of the Face Blind UK Christmas countdown, where we are bringing you festive face blind problems every day! Today, we have a challenge for the prosopagnosic parents - the school nativity. #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

It’s day 6 of the Face Blind UK Christmas count down, where we talk about festive face blind problems! Today we have the challenge of the many photo-based traditions around the Christmas season. #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

The Face Blind UK Christmas countdown - day 5! Today we have the challenge of walking around shops and markets in the Christmas crowds. Tricky enough for anyone, but extra challenging when you can’t recognise faces! #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

Counting down to Christmas the Face Blind UK way - with festive face blind problems! On day 4, we have an anecdote from a Face Blind UK member. When a prosopagnosic is hosting Christmas dinner, it is hard to keep track of who’s who #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind

It’s day 3 of the Face Blind UK Christmas count down, where we talk about festive face blind problems! On day 3, we have the trip to our home town. Inevitably, there are people from the past also visiting for Christmas! #faceblinduk #prosopagnosia #12daysoffaceblind