A study in a 2023 issue of the journal Cortex suggests that face blindness may be more prevalent than previously believed, existing on a continuum of severity and symptoms rather than as a discrete group of people. Estimates indicate that prosopagnosia affects between 1 and 5 percent of adults.
Prosopagnosia is a disorder of higher visual function where individuals have difficulty remembering faces or telling them apart, despite normal visual acuity and sensitivity to contrast. Professor Christopher M. Filley, a specialist in behavioral neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, explains that people with prosopagnosia can see a visual image but are unable to recognize the face due to their brains’ inability to process facial elements.
Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, actor Brad Pitt, and the late British neurologist Oliver Sacks all share something in common – a condition called prosopagnosia or face blindness. Despite being famous for their work and personalities, they struggle with recognizing familiar or famous faces.
Cognitive neuroscientist Joe DeGutis, codirector of the Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory at the VA Boston Healthcare System explains that individuals with severe prosopagnosia may struggle with recognizing even close loved ones in certain situations such as at a grocery store. They may rely heavily on context to identify individuals leading to challenges in recognizing people in unexpected circumstances despite familiarity in more predictable settings.