StemCell Therapy

Faces: Facial Blindness

Meet two people who suffer from Prosopagnosia, or facial blindness a condition that leaves them unable to recognize friends and family.

Updated: 8:00 PM EDT May 31, 2017

WEBVTT >> THIS IS CHRONICLE ON WCVBCHANNEL 5.>> THE FAMOUS FACE LOOKSFAMILIAR?>> I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT IS.>> EVEN THE MIRROR LEAVES HIMUNSURE.>> THERE IS A LACK OFRECOGNITION.>> THESE TWO MEN SUFFER FROM AMYSTERIOUS CONDITION, FACIALBLINDNESS.AND A SURGEON TO MAKE HER ABETTER WOMAN.>> I KNOW HE WOULD MAKE ME LOOKLIKE I WAS BORN NATURALLY LIKETHAT.>> THE AMAZING GERMAN -- THEAMAZING JOURNEY.>> ABOUT FACE.NEXT ON CHRONICLE.>> GOOD EVENING.SINCE BIRTH BROKE HAS HADTROUBLE RECOGNIZING EMILY,COWORKERS, EVEN HIMSELF.HE SUFFERS FACIAL BLINDNESS, ACONDITION BOTH MYSTERIOUS ANDINCURABLE.>> IMAGINE GOING TO WORK EVERYDAY AND NOT BEING ABLE TORECOGNIZE FELLOW WORKERS.IT IS A PROBLEM RICK FACESDAILY.NOT JUST AT WORK BUT AT HOMEWITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.HE HAS A RARE CONDITION KNOWN ASFACIAL BLIND.HE HAS DEVELOPED STRATEGIES FORTELLING PEOPLE APART.>> BY THEIR POSTURE, THEIRSHOULDERS.BEARD, NO BEER.VOICE.GAIT IS A BIG THING.I CAN SEE SOMEBODY HALF A BLOCKAWAY FROM ME AND RECOGNIZE THEM.>> IT IS WHAT YOU SEE IN TURN AFACE UPSIDE DOWN.>> IT IS A NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMTHAT SCIENTISTS DON'T FULLYUNDERSTAND AND SO FAR CANNOTFIX.>> IF I TURN A FACE UPSIDE DOWNYOU WOULD KNOW THE EYES AND THEMOUTH WAS THERE, YOU JUST CAN'TPERCEIVE IT WITH THE SAME WAY.>> THEY HAVE A PROBLEMCOMPREHENDING RACIALEXPRESSIONS.>> I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT MOODYOU ARE IN.>> THE FACE CONTAINS LOTS OFINFORMATION.IT'S HARD TO UNDERESTIMATE HOWMUCH INFORMATION WE GET.WE CAN FIGURE HOW THAT PERSONIS.WE GET IDENTITY FROM THE FACE.WE ARE ALSO GETTING FACIALEXPRESSIONS AND DETERMINING WHATPEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT.>> RICK WAS BORN WITH FACIALBLINDNESS BUT WASN'T DIAGNOSEDUNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO.FINALLY IT MADE SENSE WHY HENEVER RECOGNIZED HIMSELF IN AMIRROR.>> I KNOW IT IS ME BECAUSE I'MSTANDING THERE AND I KNOW WHAT ILOOK LIKE.BUT I'VE HAD TIMES WHERE I HAVELOOKED AT MY FACE AND FOUND ITTO BE UNSETTLING.IT WOULD BE THIS ODD FEELING OFA LACK OF RECOGNITION.>> I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU ASERIES OF FAMOUS FACES.>> HE HAS COME TO DARTMOUTH TOTAKE PART IN THE FACIALBLINDNESS STUDIES.>> I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT IS.>> HE DEVELOPED IT AFTER FALLINGOFF OF A LETTER TO YEARS AGO.IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULTFOR HIS WIFE OF NEARLY 30 YEARS,THE WIFE H DOESN'T ALWAYSRECOGNIZE.>> HE WOULD REFER TO ME AS HISWIFE.I KNEW HE HAD A HARD TIMERECALLING THE KIDS.HE DIDN'T HAVE NAMES.HE WENT INSIDE AND SAW SOMEBODYTHAT LOOKS LIKE ME.HE REALIZED I WAS OUTSIDE ANDCOULDN'T MAKE THE CONNECTION OFHOW I COULD BE OUTSIDE AND INTHE GROCERY STORE.SOMEBODY FAMILIAR LOOKING WASACTUALLY NOT ME.>> IT WAS HEARTBREAKING FOR HER.I MAKE A MENTAL NOTE OF WHAT SHEWEARS THAT DAY.IF TWO WOMEN WERE STANDINGSIDE-BY-SIDE AND NO JEWELRY ORANYTHING, I WOULD HAVE NO IDEAUNTIL THEY SPOKE.>> I TRIED NOT TO THINK ABOUTIT.PEOPLE WOULD SAY HE KNOWS WHOYOU ARE.I WOULD SAY I DON'T THINK HEDOES.THEY WOULD SAY I'M SURE HE DOES.I DON'T TRY AND THINK ABOUT ITTOO MUCH BECAUSE IT'SHEARTBREAKING.>> IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR IT POSINGA REAL CHALLENGE TORELATIONSHIPS.>> PEOPLE HAVE RELATIONSHIPSTHAT HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE OFTHIS.PEOPLE TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHENYOU DON'T RECOGNIZE THEM.I'VE HAD PEOPLE TALK TO ME ABOUTROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS, THEYWALKED RIGHT PAST THE PERSON ONTHE STREET AND THE PERSON DIDN'TREACT WELL TO IT.>> SHE SAYS IT'S GETTING EASIERFOR THEM, HAVING A SENSE OFHUMOR HELPS.>> A POSTED A NOTE THAT SAID JIMREMEMBERED THAT HE PROPOSED TOME 30 YEARS AGO.BY DON'T RECOGNIZE YOUR FACE.>> I NEVER DOUBTED THAT HE LOVEDME OR KNEW WHO I WAS.HE STILL REMEMBERSCHARACTERISTICS ABOUT ME.THE FACT THAT HE COULD LOOK ATSEVERAL PEOPLE AND NOTSPECIFICALLY POINT ME OUT, I TRYNOT TO THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.IT'S HEARTBREAKING.>> I'M NOT GOING TO ASK WHY.I REALLY WANT ASK WHAT IS NEXT.BY GODS'S GRACE I'M GOING TO BETHE FIRST PERSON TO BEAT FACIALBLINDNESS.>> PROBABLY PRESIDENT CLINTON.>> ANOTHER GROUP HAS ANOPPOSITE.THEY ALWAYS SAY I NEVER FORGET AFACE AND MEAN IT.SCIENTISTS CALL THEM SUPERRECOGNIZERS.THEY ARE VERY MUCH SOUGHT AFTERBY LAW ENFORCEMENT.HE MAKES MALE FACES MOREFEMININE.>> THE SHAPE OF HEARSE CALL, THESHAPE OF HER CHEEKS.

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Faces: Facial Blindness - WCVB Boston

This entry was posted on June 3, 2017 at 9:44 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |